The Servant Addenum: The Kuja Saga
by Piccolo Sky
Summary: Side story of The Servant. The events that lead to the fall of the espers are chronicled in this fanfiction.
1. First Step

Hello everyone! Piccolo Sky here again. As I warned in "The Wyvern Battles", the next part of "The Servant" doesn't even feature Bahamut, and so it is its own story. Technically, this story belongs in the FFIX fanfictions, but because it's with "The Servant", I'll leave it here. This story chronicles the first event that leads to the fall of the espers...and the beginning of the "War of the Magi".

One other note...this story is filled with Garnet bashing. If you like her, you've been warned.

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**The Kuja Saga**

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_One Thousand, One Hundred Years Later_

A warbler paused long enough on one branch to quickly scan for any insects that might be nearby. When it saw none, it took the opportunity to give out a warning call, sounding to every other warbler in the vicinity that this was his territory. Yet his seeming bravery vanished a moment later, when something came tumbling through the woods. When it did, the warbler immediately bolted for it, and left the path clear for the new arrival as he walked along.

The intruder, a man with a long brown beard flecked with gray and a wide-brimmed hat on his head, stumbled his way through the forest with the aide of a walking stick. He hesitated for a moment after clearing an especially rough root, and wiped his brow. He adjusted his glasses slightly afterward, and then continued to move on. He was panting a bit from the hike he had made, but all in all he liked walking through these woods. They were pleasant to be in, and the noon day sun shone down bright and merrily. Here, he was happy. It was nothing like farther below, down in the valley…where one couldn't see the sun if their lives depended on it. Down there, the perpetual, endless mist always hung over everything like a mountain of wet blankets. Up on the side of the hill, however, this place was nicer.

As the man stumbled along, continuing to pick his way across the tree roots, he suddenly stopped. While moving forward, his vision caught the sight of someone up ahead. He immediately looked up to the source, and saw that he wasn't alone. He wasn't to the door yet…but there was already someone up ahead, and he hadn't expected that. Yet a quick look proved it wasn't anyone to worry about. Just another old man with another set of glasses and another wide-brimmed hat like his own. This one, however, was lying on the ground and holding a pair of binoculars to his eyes. He scanned the trees and canopy overhead for a moment, before lowering them and proceeding to check something on a piece of paper he had on his lap. He looked up again afterward, and this time his gaze passed the hiking man. Immediately, he pulled his eyepieces down and shot back in a bit of surprise.

"Whoa!" He gave in a light exclaim, followed by a smile. "I didn't expect to see anyone else here."

The other man held a moment, looking at him. But after a time, he gave a short nod, although his look was now uneasy. He was a very quiet and shy seeming individual…and some sadness seemed to be on his mind. "…I didn't either. What takes you so far out of the city?"

The man on the ground hesitated a moment, and then sighed and shrugged. "Oh, just unwinding after everything that's happened in the past few days. You know, what with the disaster and everything in the city."

"Ah."

"I enjoy birdwatching out here. It's a good place for it."

"…I used to like to birdwatch myself. I don't find much time for it anymore."

The lying man looked regretful at this. "Really? That's a shame. Hey…how about I tell you a little secret?"

The brown haired man perked up to this. "Yes?"

The former grinned and motioned around. "Just the other day…I saw a Orangepole Warbler, right here in this spot."

The latter raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding."

The man eagerly shook his head no with a grin. "No, I saw it. I swear to God."

"You sure it wasn't just a dull Redpole?"

"No. It had the black lores and orange wing tips and everything. My wife didn't believe me either."

The brown haired man snickered and grinned a bit at that. He was still melancholy, but this did make him smile. "How about that. I thought they were extinct."

The man nodded, and then set a finger to his lips. "Mums the word, though. This can be our little secret. This gets out, and every birdwatcher on the continent will be coming here to try and spot it. Probably ruin its habitat and chase the poor thing off to extinction." The man frowned after this, and grew a bit despondent. Sighing, he turned back to his paper. "I think that's why I really still like to do it. I want to see these things while I still can. After all…with the way the world is today, you never know what's going to go extinct next."

Hearing that…the brown-haired man swallowed. His demeanor grew grimmer, and he turned even quieter than before.

"…I think you hit the nail right on the head there." He quietly answered. After a moment or so longer, however, he nodded. "Take care."

"You too."

* * *

The brown-haired man found himself brooding again. That dominated his mind as he went on and hiked past the birdwatcher and pushed deeper into the forest. The sights and smells no longer held any sway for him. Even free from mist, he couldn't sense it so well anymore. Even the feeling of the warm sun overhead seemed to have lost its potency. He could only keep thinking about the last thing the man said now…something that had been brooding on his mind for some time. Something that the man was learning more and more with time…that everything that had a beginning did indeed have an end. It could be forced sometimes…and other times cheated. But it was inevitable.

He brooded over this for another mile. By that time, something obvious was emerging up ahead in the forest. A massive stone monolith, a great mountain on top of the ridge that overlooked the valley, was standing there. It stretched massively in every direction before the approaching man, jutting out of the forest and looking around the countryside. Most of all, however, it overlooked the city that lay just beneath it, and it was crowned with a great castle far on top of it. The nearby metropolis had been built on it centuries ago, using its natural bizarre, yet easy-to-defend and close-to-water structure to its advantage. Here was his destination. And just ahead, not much farther, it rose sharply into a rock face. It was only sharp here, however. As one got higher on the mountain, it revealed itself to be full of holes and details in it, and having lots of intricities all around it to make it a rather ununiform stone monolith indeed. Yet that didn't interest him now. What did was that the rock face had a single door built into it just ahead. That one was metal reinforced and locked. If that wasn't enough, it had a guard.

It was a rather peculiar guard. The body was barely armored. Only a broad dome helmet rested on her head. The rest of her body was scantily clad with padding rather than metal plates. The guards here specialized in being highly mobile, not well protected. But seeing as the kingdom had been without a war for centuries, it really made no difference. Of course, the old man feared…that could change rather soon. But without a word, he walked straight up to the guard.

The moment he approached, she immediately drew her sword. The guards in this kingdom were violent, and rarely acted rationally or mercifully. As he neared, he soon found a sword point at his throat. He halted at once, and bent his head back so his blue eyes could look down on the sword.

"This area is off limits to civilians, especially in light of the recent abduction." The soldier coldly stated. "Turn back at once."

The old man was calm in response. Looking innocent, he held up a finger in a halting gesture. With his free hand, he reached into a satchel strapped to his side. He felt the cold steel of the blade touch his throat when his hand went in, but he soon emerged with it again. As he did, he looked hard at the woman. His own blue gaze began to burn with some strange power. It pierced right through her visor and touched the eyes on the other side, and he held it hard as he pulled up a piece of paper.

"…I need to do some service work on the castle." He slowly and calmly stated, accenting each word. "Here is my permit. It's from the queen herself."

The soldier stared at him dumbly for a moment longer. For a second, she seemed frozen. But then, she lowered her blade back down to her side, releasing the old man. When she did, she reached out and took the paper, much less curtly this time. She looked it over once. It was obvious from first sight that it was a wrapper for a Gyshil pickle. It even still smelled like one.

"I see." The soldier calmly answered. "Everything seems to be in order here. You may pass." With that, she calmly handed the wrapper back to the old man.

When that happened, he broke his gaze from her, and gave a nod. "Thank you." The soldier stood to one side, and the old man easily walked by. The soldier then turned and walked alongside him to the door, and once she reached it she pulled out a key and proceeded to unlock it for him. After doing so, she pulled the door open and stood to the side, letting him enter. Once he was inside the door was shut and locked behind him again, and the guard calmly resumed her duty. She had already forgotten completely what had happened in the past two minutes.

As for the old man, he calmly set his walking stick to one side of the dark hallway that he was now in. He placed his hat there as well, and undid his satchel. Now free, he walked forward into the dark hallway. It looked to be made of rock at first, but it didn't stay dark long. Lamps were already lit ahead, and soon he emerged into illumination again. The hall stretched on a bit longer, until finally he exited it, and emerged into a new hallway.

Extending up and down around him, throughout the entire interior of the stone monolith, was its innards. They were not solid at all, but were rather huge machines. Great gears, axles, pistons, girders, and every other thing that could be expected in a great piece of clockwork were there, only much larger. Catwalks snaked everywhere. Service ladders and stairs extended to every direction. Boilers hissed and spat, and huge ratchet machines slowly hissed and turned. The smell of oil was heavy on the air, and many things were moving and churning. From outside, this was both invisible and silent. The only sign it existed was an occasional burst of steam, which, thanks to some mental manipulation and rationalization, the locals thought was geothermal activity. The massive machine within the mountain extended high up for hundreds of feet, and everywhere in between were the workings of the huge structure.

However, the machine wasn't all. There were creatures running around it. Here a great blue wolf, there a muscle-bound, multi-armed fiend being, and there some sort of humanoid with giant eyebrows. The area was filled with these strange creatures, each one different from the other, and they flew about and dashed to one place or another. They had tools, and they were oiling, welding, tightening, checking, adjusting, nailing, screwing, painting, and smoothing everything in the structure. It was an irregular construction crew, and all of them were putting the great facility closer and closer to completion.

One particular creature, a great hooded cobra with monstrous fangs, stretched out its coils, enwrapped the end of a giant nut, and turned it using the tremendous torque only his own body could generate. Yet when he saw the old man come in, he immediately halted what he was doing and looked over the edge.

"Hey! Regent Leviathan!"

The man, Leviathan in human form, looked up at that, and gave a nod to the worker. "Hello, Terrato." He addressed the esper…or eidilon, as the humans sometimes called them nowadays. "Any problems today?"

"A few minor boiler leaks on pods 3, 6, and 18. Other than that, it's going great. It should finally be ready in a year, after all this time."

"The sooner the better. I'm expecting Shiva to come by in a few minutes, so I'll be upstairs waiting for her."

"I'll tell her if she comes in, my lord."

Leviathan nodded in response. Then, he turned his attention toward the side wall and made for it. He maneuvered his way through great works of machinery, turning gears, chugging pistons, and of course other espers working away as hard as they could on the machinery. It didn't take him long to pass through them all and reach a small chamber next to the stairs. It was oval shaped and covered with grating, and connected to a long cord that went up and down the entire monolith. This was a new device that the humans were working on. They called it an elevator. Apparently, one kingdom in this world, the kingdom of Lindbulm, was able to harness the power of the endless mist that now covered the world. They had many of these operating on powerful motion devices called "engines" that worked their nation of technology. As for Alexandria, however, where the operation was located, they lacked such technology…and given recent turns of events looked unlikely to get it soon. Nevertheless, it was a handy device, and so Leviathan had built a crude one inside the monolith that operated on steam power, for there was no mist up here.

Leviathan pushed the grating aside, stepped into the chamber, and then closed it again behind him. He reached over and pushed a button on a small console inside. A chugging sound immediately resulted, and slowly the chamber began to be pulled up off of the ground. Right now, it wasn't much faster than taking the stairs. But Leviathan had just completed a rather long walk in his human form, and he wasn't eager to walk up about ten stories just yet. This was well enough. He patiently waited for it to rise, and as he ascended he saw more espers running around on the higher levels, also rushing about with machinery and tools. They too were working hard on finishing the device. He watched them somewhat expressionlessly as he rose, until at last he hit his desired floor. At that, the chamber halted and shook a little, but then stopped.

Leviathan turned to the back of the device, and pulled aside the grating there instead. When he did, he found himself not facing an interior of metal and clockwork, but instead facing another short hallway. This one was dark, but was much smaller. It looked to be made of stone, and it extended out until it reached an opening into the outside world. From this high, there was a much better view of the valley and the surrounding area. Leviathan began to walk through it. Ahead, it was revealed that the opening looked rather like some gigantic grating on the side of the stone monolith, and that the opening was just one hole out of several in the grating. It was actually spired and surrounded, as if it was a fortification. Leviathan paid it no mind. He only went out until he could feel the fresh air, and then sat down in the shade and looked out over the horizon. His eyes spanned over the valley, seeing the long forest below. To his left, the mountains rose high and formidable. And to his right…a cliffside dropped down and plunged into the mist that now enveloped his world.

_Extinction…_

_How much time do any of us have?_

_How many of us…are already on the last grains of the hourglass?_

Leviathan thought these things and he sighed and sat down to enjoy the view. The truth of the matter was it had not been a good era for him, all espers, humanity, or the world.

With Odin finally abdicating the human throne, and a strong and just Paladin king raised in his place, things had seemed to be all right with the world. In fact, many espers began to think that their time had been over then, and that humans had at last taken the full reins of their own destinies upon themselves. Perhaps they would finally become the great civilization they always hoped.

But disaster only allowed a few generations of kings before it struck again. When all was well with all humanity, a meteor had struck the Planet. Instantly, the world was plunged into darkness and deep winter. Chaos dominated the small world as a result. Plants died off by the thousands. People succumbed to starvation and disease. Anarchy soon raised up and began to rearrange the diplomacy of the Planet, destroying the old and good kingdoms that had taken centuries to build. The Planet itself received a wound so grievous and horrible that Leviathan could feel it cry out in agony night after night again. The Lifestream itself, long hidden from the eyes of his kind and all others, bubbled forth like blood from the crater.

In the end, of all people, it was the ancient friends of the espers, the Cetra, who stepped forward into the breach. They were the ones that managed to rechannel the flow of the Lifestream to the wound to afford some sort of clot to it. They caused the world to focus on producing more of its own heat, and the winter that threatened to doom the Planet into another ice age was eliminated. It took three years for it to fully happen, but when it was done the Planet was functioning normally for the most part. Sadly, it would take thousands upon thousands of years for the wound to fully heal. Until that time, the north remained a frozen wasteland where no light or heat came near.

Tragedy, however, was not far off. The meteor hadn't come alone, it seemed… Leviathan was still not sure what had happened. Yet somehow…there was an alien life form involved in the meteor crash. And this one was not friendly as the Lunarians had been. This one was vicious and wicked. Its intention had been to ruin this world and feed off its blood. When it saw how the Cetra had ruined its plans, it infected them with a horrible disease that killed 60 percentof them and left 35 percent transformed into hideous mutants. Because of this, the Cetra named it, "the Calamity from the Skies".

Leviathan had moved to destroy this creature. Unfortunately, by the time he learned of its wickedness, most Cetra were dead. The few that were left merely told them that this was their battle. They warned that attempts to attack it would only increase its power, as it drained the energy of the Planet from everything it touched. They said that they too were the Planet's children, and that they too had the power to defend it and punish its aggressors. At that, the remaining ones left,managed to not kill but entomb the creature in a neutral-charged crystal, so that it could neither send out mental signals nor drain from anything else. That done, Leviathan sent an earth esper to make the Planet swallow the entombed monster so that it could never be unearthed again. Sadly, however…the damage had been done. The Cetra were all but extinct, and due to population bottlenecks they soon began to die out. Now, Leviathan doubted that any survived. One of the oldest races of humans, and the dearest friends to the Planet and to the espers, was now gone.

Yet aside from those few years, most of the ones afterward had been peaceful. As humanity rebuilt itself yet again, they mostly remained good and kind. There were a few tyrants, of course, but human wars took care of them. There were spats as well, but those were passed too. Humanity, overall, continued to advance, and soon began a new era. The time of knights and feudalism passed. A new society, one that was still ruled by nobility and propriety, nevertheless took form that allotted far more time to arts, music, drama, poetry, literature, and other pursuits. The human world turned away from its more militaristic youth and endeavored to create a new society, one in which each civilization tried to make themselves excel in other things besides war. Technology became rampant. The airship continued to make headwind in the world, and the knowledge was quickly disseminating. The ability to use steam to turn engines was discovered. The power of gunpowder was utilized to create weapons that mimicked the destructive power of magic.

Yet as time went on, Leviathan had noticed something differently. The humans failed to, of course. They were far too temporal to note the change, gradual as it was. And much of it occurred during the time prior to their record taking of weather patterns. But Leviathan noticed it, as did the rest of his kind.

The world…was slowly being covered with mist.

It was a deep, unnatural mist. Where it came from, no one really knew for years. It didn't blow off of the ocean or result from increased humidity. It just began to collect over the years, seeming to suddenly emerge from the ground itself. Within a few hundred years, it had covered most of the southernmost continent. It was namely because of that reason that humans called the place, "the Mist Continent". As the mist continued to accumulate with time, eventually most humans ceased to leave the continent and stayed isolated to their own mist-covered world. They interacted less and less with the other continents, until they became something of legends themselves.

The humans took the mist in stride, in the end. In fact, once they learned that the mist itself could be used as a form of energy, they harnessed it to create a massive network of airships that created a highway of commerce across the entire continent. With it now possible for anyone, anywhere to quickly go anywhere on the continent, a new zenith of human civilization was reached. Far from being considered dangerous or suspicious, the mist was eventually considered essential for human civilization. Some even thought that the kingdom of Alexandria was backward for building its city above the mist level in the sun, for now they would not be able to utilize its power.

However, Leviathan and his kin did not rest so easily. On the contrary…learning that mist, which in the traditional sense of the word was simply water droplets suspended in an air matrix, was somehow holding enough energy to power machines, made Leviathan nervous and afraid.

Fortunately, their remaining human friends, the summoners, were unaffected. These horned descendents of Rydia, once they had enough numbers, eventually built their own city on the surface: Madain Sari. Using them, the espers widened their investigation of the source of this mist. For years it eluded them, until the summoners managed to chronicle the fate of the forest near their encampment. It seemed that as the years went by, there were catastrophic dieoffs of trees there. That made no sense, as the Earth Crystal had been entombed their long ago, and the place should have been a grand forest forever. Yet as the years went by, it only continued to lose more and more vegetation, becoming dry and barren. However…that lasted only a short while in and of itself.

Gradually, as the trees died off, Leviathan realized that one tree was still flourishing. It was a kind of tree that they had never seen before. As the other trees died, it alone continued to grow larger and larger, becoming great and tall and soon dwarfing the other remaining trees. When they passed on as well, this lone tree grew taller and taller yet. Leviathan, in retrospect, admitted that he should have been more wary. He probably should have done something about it then…if he could have. Yet he spared it for the time being. After all, the idea hadn't occurred to him yet that this tree and the mist were linked. After all, there was no mist around it. And besides, it was a tree. A tree wasn't anything horrible or destructive. It was a source of life. In fact, the summoners began to think that when whatever phenomenon destroyed the rest of the forest, the Earth Crystal itself became the seed for this massive new tree. They gave it a blessed name and called it the "Iifa Tree".

Yet that didn't last.

Massive roots began to protrude from the ground around the tree for miles. Each one was as big as an airship in circumfrance. Yet as time went on, Leviathan saw that more roots began to emerge. They poked out of the soil near Conde Petite, where some of the last of the dwarf race had moved above ground to try their luck living in the true sun. Then they emerged near the coastline. Then, last of all…they began to emerge on the Mist Continent.

Leviathan realized what had happened around that time. The source of the mist was, in fact, the roots. He didn't know why it was only coming up this far away from the tree, and he was shocked that the roots managed to reach that far in the first place. Yet he knew that was the source. Experiments soon confirmed it. This renewed his interest in the seemingly harmless mist, and he began to study it more thoroughly. Yet he could find little. It did seem to hold some sort of energy charge that was stimulated by a simply current, and it had an internal combustion element to it that allowed it to perpetuate motion. Other than that…nothing.

Nevertheless, Leviathan didn't like this. He felt it was best if something was done about it. Yet the summoners considered it a blessing, and never thought of summoning espers to destroy it. Not that it might make much difference… The tree was so huge that they might have had more luck destroying a mountain. What more, its roots were already spread throughout the entire surface of the Planet. That much was obvious from what happened with the Mist Continent. Simply blasting the tree on the surface might not have been enough. And if it was producing mist…then he didn't want to know if injuring the tree might not spill out a more poisonous version of it.

So at first, tests were done. Samples were taken. Damage was done to the tree to see its effect. Espers attempted to follow its roots. The results were strange. Leviathan found that the tree itself seemed to not be a tree in the traditional sense of the word. It was more like a series of woody vines working together to form a tree shape. The roots might in fact be vines themselves. Furthermore, it was like no tree he ever experienced before. The physiology and cellular structure was unlike any other plant he had ever seen. In fact…he wasn't exactly sure that this thing _was_ a plant. It produced no seeds or flowers, and seemed incapable of reproducing. As for damaging it, the result was a powerful explusion of mist. There was no doubt that the tree was filled with it. However, whether or not it would be harmful to a weaker species was still in debate. The roots, however, were impossible to follow. Even earth espers had a hard time tracing the roots of it.

All of this unnerved the king esper. He decided he had seen enough. He planned to destroy the tree as soon as he could. The espers that lived lacked the power…but his masterpiece did not. He put all effort into finalizing it.

Yes, Leviathan had continued to work on his ultimate plan over the centuries. He studied the notes night and day and made thousands of amendments, so that he would collect the right sort of energy. He revealed his findings to his closest friends. They were skeptical at best. This seemed to be a tremendous gamble, and none of them were sure that this wasn't just making some sort of bizarre monster to dominate the world. They definitely didn't know about serving it. This, however, was Leviathan's main counter-point. This thing would act solely based on feelings of love, mercy, and kindness. It wouldn't be an exact esper, but it would be a combination of all the positive feelings, emotions, and actions that every esper and every living thing had done. He was sure that he could make it. And so, with the greatest reluctance…they allowed him to build it. Wyvern, of course, remained ignorant. The esper was to be, after all, his successor.

Leviathan had been carving him out of this mineral rich mountain ever since. He worked alone at first, but soon he recruited more espers to help. It had taken hundreds of years. Leviathan went through countless blueprints for how he wanted it to look and how he wanted it to be made, but they were slowly building it. The mountain was gradually swapped out on the inside for metal. Great towering limbs and a huge torso were crafted for it. The insides were filled with dials and gears and mechanical workings of all kinds. They were all designed to work together to give the creature that was coming a large and powerful body, one greater and mightier than any other force alive. This was ultimately Leviathan's master plan. He wished to give this new creature an artificial body with an innocent, untampered brain. If another esper or person was to eventually take the entity of the being into themselves, their own darkness might eventually tempt it to evil. He dared not risk that. He incorporated technology from Golem, Ark, and even the Giant of Bab-Il. However…he also incorporated designs that, of all places…he received from the Planet. To his unease…it seemed as if the Planet somehow knew how to build great and terrible weapons itself…

Of course, it would be a lifeless shell if not for receiving a spirit from Leviathan's version of the Oblivion Stone, the Crystal Stone. This gleaming crystal was given to the denizens of Madain Sari. When the time came, the espers warned them, they would call on their race to bring forth the esper contained within the Crystal Stone. Until then, it was left to gain more positive feelings and emotions from all the world, and increase the entity's power within.

That, however, was when the greatest tragedy struck.

Leviathan was still trying to figure out how it happened. He had very little to go on. But something one night…sixteen years ago…struck Madain Sari. He wasn't sure of the nature of the attack, but to his worst fears it destroyed the Crystal Stone and nearly all the summoners. The stone was broken into four parts. It was still functional if they were brought together, but it could no longer gather power. Initially, there were only three survivors. Two of them were left in Madain Sari. They were a summoner couple. One had their legs crushed and their back warped by falling debris. The other lost her sight and had her face disfigured by fires. But they did live, although both were in chronic pain for the rest of their lives. They could tell little, for one had been blinded early and the other had been buried under rubble for most of the night. Leviathan, nevertheless, sent a troop of moogles led by none other than the esper moogle ancestor Mog to care for and provide for them. Yet they had been too heavily injured. They hung on for about nine years, but then passed. Luckily, before they did, they managed to give birth to another summoner. Leviathan ordered the moogles to guard this summoner, Eiko, and the two shards of the Crystal Stone she possessed with their lives.

As for the final survivor, somehow she and her mother had managed to escape Madain Sari with the other two shards. She was little over a baby in age when she and her mother went into a boat and were nearly flung across the sea to a harbor in Alexandria. The mother died during the voyage, but the young summoner lived. She was called Sarah until that point…but that changed. Now, most people knew her by the identity she had replaced, Princess Garnet Til Alexandros. She had taken the place of the recently deceased princess of Alexandria. Shortly after doing so, Alexandrian surgeons removed her horn. To Leviathan, that was a slap in the face. That horn was a symbol of a summoner's unity with her espers. That was an eternal reminder of the price the espers paid to ensure that the summoner race would continue. They cut it off like a wart or any other inconvenience.

Nevertheless, that left two summoners left in the world. Of the two, however, Eiko was the only one who held Leviathan's confidence. It was a pity that she wasn't directly in Rydia's line. As a result, the blood of the espers hadn't been passed on to her. That blood went to Garnet. Within her body, she commanded power beyond that of any other normal human. She knew this…but, to Leviathan's irritation and worry…so did the Queen of Alexandria. The woman was an aberration both physically and morally. Leviathan had kept an eye on her for some time…and saw that she, like the dark kings of old, had a heart that slowly twisted more and more toward greed and a desire for power as time went on. And she was only surrounding herself with people who reinforced these base emotions. Yet Garnet trusted this woman implicitly. She told her everything…including when she learned of the power of the espers inside her. This only made the sea esper more nervous. It was one thing to love and be faithful to someone…it was another to be foolish and imprudent. Garnet was a problem…

"…Enjoying the view, father?"

Leviathan turned his head to this. When he did, he looked behind and saw that his guest had arrived. Shiva, framed in the elevator hallway, was standing there. Her look was cold as always, and showed little in the way of what was on her mind. However, as Leviathan looked her over, he realized that she had brought something with her. Rather, she had dragged it. It was in a rather massive bag that she had been dragging behind her, one that was at least her size. Leviathan looked back up to her.

"…I didn't know you would be bringing me a gift, Shiva."

"You better hope it's the only one I bring you." Shiva darkly responded. With that, she pulled it forward and threw it in front of herself. It landed with a sickening plop, seeming to be rather heavy and soft inside. She bent down, and with a wave of her hand generated a blade of ice. She soon began to cut the bag open. As she did, Leviathan turned fully around and walked closer to her, until he too was near the object. He bent down close and looked it over as she cut it open. While she was still cutting, she explained.

"I was residing in the Ice Cavern, the place you told me to remain to keep an eye on our wayward summoner. I figured they would be coming through anyway after escaping the Evil Forest. Sure enough, they came and began to make their way through. But they weren't alone…"

With that, Shiva finished cutting. She made the blade disappear, and then grasped the edge of the fabric. She held for a moment as she continued.

"Someone…or _something_, as you will probably agree…came after them from the _opposite_ side of the cave. I'm not sure exactly where they came from, but the only guess I have is that it was the town of Dali. It had magical ability. It increased the chill in my cave to make it nearly unbearable to human bodies. The summoner and her little group managed to make their way onward regardless, but their bodies were weakened enough by the cold that almost all of them fell asleep when this thing followed up with a sleeping spell. Only the tailed one snapped out of it."

Leviathan rose an eyebrow to this. "You mean…the anomaly?"

Shiva nodded. "He killed it, but typically left the body behind. Here it is."

With that, Shiva unfurled the cloth and revealed it. Leviathan was taken aback at once as he looked on it, cupping a hand to his mouth. His eyes widened in surprise and for a moment he was captivated.

…_What…is this new devilry?_

The thing appeared to be vaguely humanoid. However, it was twisted and misshapen. It seemed almost more like an ape in its structure. Its upper torso and forearms were far too big for its tiny legs, and the thing would have had to hunch and walk on its knuckles to move. Its clothing…looked to almost be stitched into its skin rather than actually covering it. A dull-colored set of vestigal wings burst from its back, complete with feathers. They looked more ornamental than useful, but he could see they were fixed into its back. Other than that, there was only a small bell hanging from one of its dead hands…and a wide brimmed hat covering its head. Leviathan hesitated a moment…and then slowly raised his hand to the hat and grasped it. At first, he pushed it back only a little, and looked at its face. But it couldn't be seen. It was totally obscured by darkness.

"Shiva…is this what-"

"Your suspicions are the same as what I visually confirmed." Shiva explained. "Its eyes glowed with their own light, just as the black mages of old used to."

Leviathan paused at that, and frowned. "So, you were there. I don't suppose…?"

"No, she didn't."

The esper clenched his teeth. "She was lying there freezing to death…and still she refused to call for your help. The girl frustrates me more by the hour…"

With that, Leviathan turned back down to the body. He proceeded to yank off the hat. What he saw wasn't that appealing underneath. It had a head…bald and shaped like a rough-hewn piece of wood, as it was. The nose and chin were too long, and the face was sagging. It looked like only a vain attempt to make a face, and was rather ugly indeed. It was a good thing that the creature, whatever it was, did keep its face concealed. However, before Leviathan could cover its head again, he noticed something. It appeared that there was a tattoo on the side of its head. Seeing this, the sea esper lowered his face and looked at it, and slowly deciphered words.

_Black Waltz No. 1._

The esper frowned and leaned back up. "So, this is what you meant by more presents…" He sighed. "There are at least two more of these things."

"They're similar to the one that looked like a little black mage. Only that one actually looks like a human child underneath his hat. And he wasn't nearly as sadistic and cruel sounding as this thing."

Leviathan paused and stroked his beard. He tapped a finger against his leg. "You say it probably came from Dali…"

"That's only because that was the closest place. I haven't been keeping up on airship travel that well, so it might have come from as far as Lindbulm. Yet we know pretty well about dealings there and Alexandria, and we haven't seen them make anything like this."

Leviathan rose an eyebrow at that. "…Make?"

Shiva frowned and leaned in closer, pointing to the body. "…I don't think this thing was alive in the classical sense. I've already examined it. It contains two separate hearts, one for the pulmonary region and one for the body. It utilizes all of its brain at once. It lacks any sutures along its fused bones. It has only a single kidney. If I didn't know any better…I'd say this thing came into this world already in its full form, and it was designed to operate in a more simplistic manner. What more…though this thing had magical power for certain, I didn't see any specific source. Rather…it was almost as if it had some internal supply of magical power that was just energy, not a soul or spirit or anything."

The sea esper grew very intrigued indeed at this. He was in agreement with Shiva on most of those theories about the physiology. However, it seemed impossible. Yet as he looked back down to the body, he too began to pierce its flesh with his gaze, and saw much of the same things. That wasn't all. The blood that he saw circulating was mostly plasma that lacked erythrocytes. It lacked any sort of lymph nodes, and the lungs were unbranching. If he didn't know any better…or perhaps he didn't…this thing didn't appear to be a living creature at all. It was too basic…too removed of "complexities". It looked almost like…

_…one of my earlier models for the stone monolith._

This realization made the sea esper tense up. Yes…it was the same basic package. It was using organs and flesh rather than steel and stone, but the basic structures were much the same. It seemed almost like some vague attempt to build a machine…or perhaps even to build a man. If that wasn't enough, based on what Shiva had said…that notion sounded more and more like a possibility. If this thing indeed only had basic "stuff" for a soul when it was alive, then that meant…just perhaps…

_…Maybe this thing was being driven by mist._

_Maybe this thing…is a mist machine._

Shiva was right about one thing. Alexandria and Lindbulm lacked anything like this in their regions. And yet…that didn't rule out all factors. The Queen was interacting with more and more insidious characters. They had bases of operation that could be anywhere…perhaps even in the small town of Dali. It would be the least likely place. He didn't know what was going on here…and he didn't like the theories that were coming to mind regarding this abomination that lay before him. He already had one theory that was too frightening and terrible to imagine. Yet he needed more information to see if it was correct.

"And one more thing." Shiva ended. "Though I haven't seen anything like this in Alexandria…right after knocking out the group the thing began to chant a spell of hypnosis. It was targeting Garnet when it did so."

At that, the sea esper froze. He looked back up to Shiva immediately.

"…I need to report this to Terratopolis." He stated quickly. "I'll be returning at once. Do you know where she and her group are now?"

"They too are headed for Dali."

"Follow them. Stay back and hidden, and do not interfere unless Garnet calls for you. If not…let her suffer the price until she realizes she needs your power. But investigate that town and report to me at once whatever you find. I shall be in Terratopolis myself waiting for you, and relating this latest news to our so-called 'king' and the others there."

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

It took an entire day before Leviathan had managed to get back. He was not as skilled atauto-aero as Bahamut and Wyvern were, and he lacked any ability to fly. The best he could do was levitate himself into the ocean, and from there use his superior swimming ability to propel himself as quickly as he could to the north. Yet still, it was a long way. And before he reached there he was forced to leave the ocean again and levitate to the nearest entrance. When he finally did arrive, it took him time to gather everyone to himself again. Yet at last he did, and on doing so he immediately related the story.

Leviathan stood in the chamber of the 'king' at the moment. Wyvern, their acting Bahamut, had been forced to be in a subservient role for over a thousand years now. He never enjoyed it. However, it appeared that time was having something of an effect on him. He grudgingly consented to it for now…at least it seemed so. Usually, he did what he was doing now. He sat on one of his throne diases, crossed his arms, and glared darkly at all assembled. Leviathan could feel that he still hated each and every one of them, but he was more in a state of misery and anger regarding his own sad state than them. He no longer thought endlessly of killing them, like he did for the first fifty years.

Leviathan had been trying to "make up" with Wyvern, so-to-speak. The two never liked each other, and Leviathan would not forgive him for murdering his beloved brother. Yet they had to get along somehow. Early on, Leviathan had turned to Wyvern in small decision matters, asking him what he thought. At first, Wyvern had angrily spat back curses at him and asked him if his opinion really mattered. Initially, therefore, it was a failure. But Leviathan was smart, and knew how to work Wyvern. Soon, he began to proclaim cases in front of the great wyrm that held Wyvern's personal interest. One example was when the esper Typhoon went rogue and started to obliterate human settlements. Wyvern bore no love for humans…but he hated espers who ran around showing off their power even more. To him, it was a joke. He knew he was the greatest esper, and for the weaklings to run around boasting of their own ability was an insult. What more…over time he did begin to take it more personally. He was only a figurehead king, but he was king. And Typhoon believed he was the true king. When he went rogue, it was, in truth, a challenge to him daring him to do something about it. When Leviathan had brought that case before him, Wyvern, for the first time when offered a chance to rule on it himself, seized the chance and declared that he had to be stopped.

Fortunately, Wyvern also responded to measures that stroked his pride and ego. When Leviathan asked him if he wanted to take care of the matter himself, Wyvern was all too eager. The message was relayed to his current summoner "owner", and she consented. His full power was unleashed again, and within an hour he had tracked Typhoon down and beat him into submission. When the fat esper began to plead for his life, luckily for him Wyvern found something groveling at _his_ feet for once to be most agreeable, and let him live so that he would do it more often in the future. From that point on, Leviathan knew he could at least make Wyvern compliant in some matters.

Of course, it was more than the two of them. Phantom Odin was here as well, and was easy enough to get now that he lived in Terratopolis. His wife Starlet was also present. In addition, there were some new additions to the immediate council with the loss of so many others over the past few millennia… They were all first generation espers. Ifrit, scratching his neck with a long claw, sat halfway on the ground like a dog. Ramuh, balancing on his staff and stroking his own long white beard, was close to the throne of "Bahamut". Palidor was near her mother, pruning herself slightly as she heard the story. However, none of them did many other of these small actions. Mostly…they sat enraptured by the tale. This was shocking news indeed.

At the end, Wyvern merely glared at Leviathan and snorted. "Hmph…I told you that the nation would be trouble. I should just go there and level the place. That will put an end to them."

Leviathan swallowed at this. He had indeed…and if it wasn't for the fact that thousands of innocent people lived in Alexandria…and the fact that things weren't that bad just yet...he might have been tempted to let him. But there was also the matter of his work-in-progress under Alexandria…and he certainly wasn't going to let it be destroyed. Until now, Wyvern had failed to learn anything about it, never fully honing his ability to use his own mental power. And he wanted it to stay that way.

"We don't even know if Alexandria is making it." Starlet replied with a shrug. "So it was going after Garnet. There are lots of reasons for that. They may have wanted her for ransom. Or the people who hired Tantalus could have hired whoever made it too. It didn't have to necessarily want Garnet because she was a summoner."

To this, Odin snorted_. "…Not to mention the fact that if they wanted the princess back, all they would have to do is ask her."_ He grumbled, following up with a snort. _"That worthless excuse of a summoner would do anything the fat cow asked of her."_

Leviathan swallowed a bit at this…but he had to admit that Odin had a point.

Alexandria was currently the hot topic among the espers. Everyone could sense now the growing lust for power and greed within Queen Brahne's heart. It was leading her to begin a massive military buildup in her kingdom. She had few airships of her own, and lacked the technology to manufacture them on a wide scale. But she was dramatically increasing the size and power of her Red Rose Fleet, her naval military. And she was devoting more energy to training soldiers and guards. Her nation was increasing its munitions output dramatically, and locking down more of the kingdom to international relations. If that wasn't enough…another race seemed to have fallen. The Paladins had pledged their fealty to the royal family of Alexandria in more peaceful times, and now their descendants…particularly a heartless, cruel, and shockingly powerful Paladin named Beatrix, were in her service. All of these and other signs seemed to indicate that she was preparing for a world war.

Fortunately, all espers knew she seriously underestimated her enemies if she planned to attack them with what she had. The great myomorph race of Burmecia had a wild tribe of rat people that were tamed, educated, and trained by the Dragoons. Now, they were their successors, and were deadly in combat. Even Alexandrian troops were no match for them. And strong as their navy was, they were little compared to the air force of Lindbulm. Their own upgraded balistas and heavy cannons were an entire generation backward compared to their weapons. A world war from Brahne would cost many lives in a futile maneuver, but in the end Alexandria and the Queen would be forced back into their place.

Leviathan feared, however, that the Queen did indeed _know_ this. And that she was seeking help from alternative sources. In particular…her foster child.

Garnet was the most frustrating summoner that the espers had ever dealt with. She was so plagued with inner confusion, self-doubt, a total inability to stand up for herself, and utter self-faithlessness that she was, quite honestly, a weak person. There was no easy way to say it, but it was the truth. She had the personal drive and power within her to be a great leader and powerful summoner, but she refused to take it. She feared herself too much. To her, everyone else in the world was perfect and exactly where they should be. She alone was the one in confusion and doubt. If something went wrong around her, it had to be her fault. If there was a risk that something bad would happen, it was because she had the chance to screw up. If something went wrong that couldn't possibly be her fault, then she rationalized either she was the one to fix it or she simply didn't understand that what was going on was natural. She had a total and utter lack of independence. All her life she had simply taken what people had told her and let it sink in. She let people plan out her entire life for her and make her own decisions for her. She didn't even have enough self-confidence to pick out her own attire. She was a bird in a gilded cage.

It was finally getting to her. She was finally realizing how utterly unhappy she was because she never took charge in her life. She was too afraid that everything would screw up and it would be her fault. Everything was always her fault if something ever went wrong. She feared responsibility because of this, like a cat fears water. Yet even now, because of her own naiivity and lack of ever taking charge of her own life, when she finally decided to leave Alexandria and run off to Lindbulm to talk with her uncle about the Queen, she had made many stupid mistakes. First of all, she refused to insist that she be allowed to. She had to rely on bumbling kidnappers, removing herself from responsibility again by "letting them" take her. During her own escape, she had risked her life several times doing stupid stunts, all because she was too sheltered to realize that what happens on a stage is different from real life. Now she was bumbling through the countryside, constantly snatched out of the jaws of death by the monkey boy anomaly, not even knowing enough to keep a low profile. She didn't even try to act like a normal person until it was suggested to her. She was hopeless…and yet she was the one who carried the abilities of the four espers with her.

Because of all these things, Leviathan feared greatly that Garnet, in the end, would stupidly walk right back home. Right now, he wanted her on the other side of the planet from Brahne. He couldn't trust the two of them together. He was tempted to "spirit her away" into Terratopolis as he had to Rydia centuries earlier. The only reason he didn't was because Garnet was so full of self-doubt that she feared the espers within her, and confronting her with them would only make her fear them more. They needed her to become brave enough and independent enough to use them. Leviathan could only thank God that she was at last showing the slightest inkling of scruples to her foster mother. If the two of them got back together…he feared greatly that the Queen would try and persuade her to use the espers for her own service… And _that_ was the true possibility too terrible to imagine.

"It may not be a problem." Ramuh reminded the group. He didn't know about the blood exchange, but he too realized that a summoner could be a threat to them if she was the tool of evil. "Without her horn, Garnet lacks the power to focus her ability. Even weak members of our race might be able to resist her power."

On hearing that, Leviathan did feel a slight ray of hope. He had forgotten about that. Without her horn, the only way that Garnet could summon espers that hadn't been granted to her by birth was to use special embued crystals that were specific to each esper. She could focus her power by placing them over where her horn previously rested, and call the matching esper. Even so, without her horn…she did have the link to the four special espers. Leviathan only hoped that without her horn she was weakened enough that they would refuse her if summoned for an insidious purpose… Then again, Garnet was so full of self-doubt that if she tried to summon one of them at this point, it was unlikely that she had enough confidence to be able to fulfil the teleportation.

"Besides, we still have the whelp." Wyvern calmly contributed with a shrug. "She already knows how to summon Fenrir. She'd probably surpass the older one."

Leviathan rolled his eyes and sighed at this. "We are _not_ going to knock them off each other like pawns." He coldly retorted. Wyvern merely snorted and looked darkly up again. After a moment, Leviathan sighed and spoke again. "Besides, forget Garnet. The important thing now is what that creature was. Now, I don't know what the rest of you think, but to me it looked like a mist machine."

Palidor grew uneasy at that. "You really think the humans are that far along to build something like that?"

Ramuh shook his head with a frown. "Impossible. They barely know how to utilize steam engines. Right now, they use mist as a combustible fuel. This sort of thing would require manipulating bodies in the womb, or piecing together a patchwork set of organs and muscles. They haven't the knowledge. They only became somewhat accurate in their renderings of their own bodies fifty years ago."

"Maybe it's just some creature we haven't run into yet…" Ifrit threw out. "Why are you all saying it was 'made', anyway? A body isn't something you can just spit out of a smelter."

"I might agree with that, if it wasn't for the fact that the internal structure was too simple to have some from anything organic." Leviathan responded. "Maybe I could expect structures this simple on an earthworm, but by this point of evolution it should be well beyond that. And if Shiva was telling the truth, this thing was soulless. Based on what she said, it sounded like it gave off a similar sensation to the mist airships. The mist itself sends a detection of some spiritual energy, but nothing concrete."

_"This is all good in speculation, but I don't think you're seeing what it means." _Odin retorted in an interruption. _"So it's not a living creature. And it's not being made by the humans. That begs a rather important question. If it is a machine, and the humans didn't build it…then who did?"_

The room was silent at that. Leviathan himself froze. He hadn't thought of that. He had considered Alexandria until now, but that was too advanced even for them. It was too advanced for Lindbulm or anywhere on the Planet, even the espers, who had the advantage of thousands of years of wisdom and knowledge. But if they didn't, and this thing was a machine…then what did make it? Or who made it? No one knew the answer…

Leviathan himself couldn't help but feel that this was tied to those strange people Brahne was seeing…and the anomolies that he was picking up as of late…

"…We'll be in a better position to argue this soon." Leviathan finally answered. "Shiva will be returning and making her report. After that, I'm sure we'll all have a much better grip on what's going on."

* * *

_To be continued..._


	2. Difficult Choices

Leviathan rubbed his chin and stared out from an opening in Terratopolis. He slowly inhaled and sighed. It was late now. The moon was out, and many of the other espers were turning in. His wife was among them. A goatsucker gave out its strange call, and a few lizards ran around on the rocks below. Crickets were chirping on the lawn, for most of the espers that normally populated it were gone. He was one of the few that was still awake. Though he knew it would still take a bit longer, and that waiting availed him little, he couldn't help but stand awake and wait for Shiva to return.

It had been hours since the meeting at this point. With little else to do but wait, the council had broken up and turned in for the night. Leviathan, however, could not rest nearly so easily. He didn't like this. He didn't like it at all. There were too many strange things taking place. The espers were not in their best standings, either. They weren't nearly as powerful or organized as they had been under Bahamut's rule. Their line seemed to be getting weak…and for once he wished they were much stronger.

There was no such thing as a "prophet" esper. The ability to see the future was never granted to the espers directly. However, due to their age, ones that had a strong connection with the planet, the spirits of others, and the ways of the world as it slowly changed…some espers like Leviathan were rather good at predictions. They were able to make generalized statements about how the world was changing, and to what purpose it was. They should be able to, after all. Leviathan had been staring into human hearts and monitoring the changing currents of life through the world since he was a youth. By now, he was quite able to draw correlations between what he saw and what happened.

And what he saw…did not bode well. There was something else that was taking place on the world that he hadn't mentioned. Inside, however, he felt that the people were feeling it. The Lifestream was altering. The blood of the Planet was somehow affected, and some change was going through it. It was minor for now…but something like this had never happened before. There hadn't been a feeling like this since the Calamity from the Skies crashed to the ground…which indicated that it was the blood of the Planet itself that was being affected by this phenomenon. And what did it mean?

Leviathan didn't know, but it made him uncomfortable. These new things, whatever they were…they were not good. He had a horrible feeling that this first was an omen of things to come.

_"I see you were unable to sleep either."_

Leviathan perked up his head and turned at that. He was far too cool now to be scared so easily, but still Odin had seemed to simply materialize out of the darkness nearby. Leviathan looked to him a moment, and then turned back out to his view of Terratopolis. Odin slowly walked out to him, until he was at the same rail that his brother was. He turned and looked out along with him, and both were silent for a few moments. The sounds of the night continued to chirp around them.

"…I've been thinking about what some old human told me."

Odin paused, and turned slightly to him. _"What was that?"_

"…How much time we have left." Leviathan slowly answered. "What is the next thing to go extinct."

Odin said nothing in response. He just stared on silently. Leviathan continued after a pause.

"We aren't what we used to be. There was a time when we were considered gods. It was something none of us wanted. But now…perhaps it would be better if we were that than myths. To the world, we're just powerful monsters now. But we are monsters. And monsters can be harnessed…"

Still, the warrior esper didn't answer.

"After we killed Griever…I thought it was over. This world was our Ultima Nexus now. We didn't need to fear anything ever again. And yet…there are only four out of the original seven of us left. Eight counting Crusader. I'm working on something that, in all likelihood, will make us only three. How many wars have we endured, Odin? How many mass extinctions have we gone through? How many human population bottlenecks have we witnessed? And how many of our own kind have we seen die?

"Before we were born, the Cetra ruled the world. Now they are gone. Then came Griever. He is gone. We came to power next. Now the world is the property of the humans. We linger on…but for how long? I wonder sometimes…is the destiny of all life on this world to simply be surpassed by the next greatest species? We thought it so ridiculous at the time…" A pause after this, as Leviathan grew more somber. "…But when we helped Palad and his tribe, perhaps we were raising up our successors."

Neither of them said anything in response to that. They stood in silence a while longer. In reality…Odin didn't like to hear Leviathan talking about this. He believed that the esper race would be fine himself…but he was worried about his own fate. He already had a master. And it was a person he had less and less faith in with time. She was his concern now. She was what kept him awake.

_"…I have been thinking about the summoner."_ Odin flatly stated.

Leviathan sighed slowly in response to this. "…She's a weak person, I know. But she's getting stronger. Hopefully what's happened to her will make her stronger. At any rate, I have faith that she at least has enough conviction not to abuse her powers. And even so-"

_"Well, _I _don't."_ Odin snapped back, cutting his brother off. _"She's too sickeningly weak. I don't know what I can trust from her anymore. And she's making me nervous that she holds the ability to command me in her grasp. She's had sixteen years to grow a spine. I'm growing impatient."_

Leviathan paused at that, and turned to his brother. With boldness on his expression, he shook his head. "She _won't_ go back to Alexandria. I trust her to be wise enough to do that. Once she talks with Regent Cid, she'll know it is folly."

_"I don't share your optimism…and, frankly, I say that claiming she won't go back to Alexandria _is _optimism."_ Odin retorted. He paused for a moment after that. Leviathan looked him over…and saw that his hands balled into fists at his sides.

_"I _will not _allow that mewling excuse of a summoner to turn me into the Queen's lap dog."_

Leviathan heard this…and he began to tense up as well. He understood what this meant.

"Odin…you need to go to your room…and settle down…"

_"I did not grant my power to Rydia so that one day her coward of an offspring could use it so wantonly."_

"That's enough!"

Odin was cut off from his train of thought, and wheeled around to Leviathan. His brother had drawn himself up now. His face was cold and hard, and his own eyes blazed fiercely with his true power. His own anger was up now.

"I've heard enough!" He shouted at him. "I may be your brother, Odin, but I am still the king appointed by Bahamut. That means you will do what I say. And I say for you to stop this line of talking right this instant. I am not going to authorize you, or any other esper, to kill a summoner. She _will_ accept her power. I promise you that. And she will not be allowed to use it in the Queen's service. But under _no circumstances_ am I going to allow an esper to kill her. If you think rationally enough, you'll see that it is both the moral and prudent thing to do."

Odin glared back at a moment. He never liked being ordered around by Leviathan. He had little reason to be ordered usually, as he simply went along with what he said. Now, however, that his weaker brother was exerting his authority, he grew angry. Yet in the end…as he was forced to calm down and wait…he realized that Leviathan was right. He was angry at that summoner, but he didn't want to be her executioner. It would be a cowardly move for a warrior, and it would show his own fear if he did it. Frankly…he was scared. He was the one who was bound to the summoner, not Leviathan. Yet to show fear was death for a warrior, and he refused it. What more…there was still the other matter. Garnet had to be allowed to have a child. If she died, then Rydia's line would end, and Wyvern would be free. There was a power he truly feared…

The warrior esper inhaled sharply, but in the end turned from Leviathan and forced himself to calm down. The sea serpent sighed as well, and turned back to the view. He hated to have to do that…but his people were getting desperate. He had to assert who was still in control. He began to pray that this issue would be resolved soon, before they were all at each other's throats…

As if in response, a flutter of wings caught the corner of his eye. Both Leviathan and Odin looked up at this, and turned their heads to the side. The pink feathered form of Palidor was approaching, flying as fast as she could muster with her own power. Within a fraction of a second, she was on them, and hovering right in front of the two. She looked to both and gave a head bow.

"My lords…Shiva has returned."

* * *

"This…present…is somewhat more detailed than the first…"

"This body is nothing. Things are much, much worse than we thought."

Everyone got a look at this latest one. This one was more sinister looking than the first. But it seemed to actually be wearing clothes this time and not "clothing skin". It was still very oddly shaped, but it was more upright and humanoid than the last one. Its wings, blue this time, were actually a bit functional and not purely vestigal. Its face looked less rough as well, although it was still an odd shape. Like the previous one, this also had been tattooed on the side of its bald head. The designation was, typically, Black Waltz No. 2.

Wyvern snorted at the corpse. "At least the humans seem capable of destroying these things…"

"Only with great difficulty." Shiva responded to this, and then dropped her voice. "…And only encountering them one at a time. That is something that is about to change."

Leviathan looked up from the body and back to the ice esper. His own face was grim, and he didn't like what was probably coming. "What did you find in Dali?"

"Hundreds." The ice esper coldly replied. "Thousands. I'm thinking the first two were just prototypes of some sort. These latest ones are far dumber. They don't even have personalities, let alone souls. And they're much weaker, but they do have the ability to use black magic. Somehow, the humans are mass producing them. Specifically…Alexandria is mass producing them."

"How?" Ramuh asked, stroking his beard and growing as nervous-looking as Leviathan.

"I'm not exactly sure how. I managed to sneak in thanks to the commotion that their group caused. The best I could gather is that somehow they are processing mist using a machine I've never seen before. I don't think the farthest along of human technology is able to produce anything like this. They seemed to be adding critical elements to it that were integral in organic compounds. Once they did, they somehow fused this material into some sort of great objects. They looked almost like prefabricated eggs. They wheeled them into some sort of incubator, and what came out was puppet-like versions of this one. They stuffed them into a bunch of barrels like they were salted pork, and then shipped them out on airships."

"Where to?" Starlet immediately asked.

"Everywhere on the Mist Continent." Shiva answered. "Areas outside Lindbulm…Burmecia…Cleyra…and even Alexandria itself. They've been working night and day, and they've been doing this for a while. There's no telling how many of them they've already sent off or how many they're making a day."

"And what of the group?" Leviathan asked.

"They managed to commandeer a ship and go to Lindbulm. They ran into the third member of this group…" Here, she gestured to the dead wizard at their feet. "…But they critically damaged it. I don't know where it is right now, but I don't think it's dead. At any rate, the people in Lindbulm know that there is an attack coming. They are a little preoccupied with their Festival of the Hunt happening tomorrow, however…"

Wyvern snorted and hissed at this. "Imbeciles. This has gone on long enough. Let's wipe Dali off the face of the earth. Let's show them the power of the children of the Planet."

On hearing that, however…Leviathan, who might have otherwised agreed with Wyvern, paused and swallowed. He tightened his fist and held a moment. But then, he shook his head no, even while he looked forward. "No. We can't attack Dali."

In response to this, however, the other espers looked to him with some puzzlement.

"And why not?" Wyvern nearly snapped. "Would you rather wait for a few thousand humans to die?"

_"I actually agree with Lord Bahamut."_ Odin added, making sure to use his fake title in the presence of others. _"Waiting has served us little in the past. Action is what keeps a warrior alive. I know that we normally allow humans to decide their own affairs as a policy of non-involvement, but for once I think they need to be punished for doing this abomination."_

"The facility is buried underground." Shiva reminded them. "You couldn't destroy it without destroying every man, woman, and child in Dali to get to it."

"Your point?" Wyvern sneered in response. "Those humans are the ones who are winking at this and helping it. They deserve to die with the rest of the freaks."

"The reason…" Leviathan sharply stated, ending debate and turning people's attention back to him. "…that I tell us not to attack Dali is because it won't help us in the long run. If Alexandria is behind this, then destroying Dali won't stop this from being rebuilt. But we have greater fears than that. If an esper was to turn Dali to ashes, then that would only illustrate to the Queen of Alexandria the power of an esper on her side, and she would definitely attempt to win Garnet into her favor. At the same time, seeing an esper engage in wanton destruction would only make Garnet fear espers more."

Wyvern sneered. "Oh, enough of this!" He harshly spat. "Why are we wasting our time trying to help that meaningless nothing? If that's the only good reason, I say we obliterate it none the less! You have a much better summoner already in your fold anyway. There's an easy way to solve your problem. Slaughter this precious little Garnet and save yourselves the trouble."

Leviathan hesitated at that. For a moment, he thought that Wyvern had managed to out maneuver him for a moment. And he nearly had. Many of those in the room didn't realize the link that Wyvern had to Garnet. Killing her would free him…and then he would truly show the meaning of "wanton destruction" to the world. Yet in the face of coming war, the espers of this realm were beginning to lean more and more to desperate measures. They might have agreed that Dali be destroyed if that was all that Wyvern had proposed. But when he mentioned killing Garnet…he successfully overplayed his hand. Espers did not enjoy killing humans for any reason, much less summoners. Many of them considered them to be "half-espers" themselves after what happened with Unicorn. It was practically a blasphemy to suggest that they kill Garnet. And as such, the room looked to their "king" in shock for a moment, before turning away and looking down.

"My lord…we would be in dire straights indeed if we had to kill a summoner to ensure the safety of the world." Ramuh slowly said to the king…not daring to look up to challenge him as he did so.

Wyvern sneered at this. He nearly opened his mouth and sharply retorted. However…when he saw how affectionate everyone was for the summoner, he knew already that he had gone too far. They wouldn't agree. Grumbling, he sat back down in his throne and crossed his arms. The room was silent, but didn't support him. He looked over them all a moment, and then snorted again.

"Sooner or later…_all_ of you…" Here, he added emphasis to Leviathan. "You're going to have to make a choice. Humans or espers? The world…or a silly, useless girl?"

There was a period of silence after that. Wyvern leaned back and snorted once, then was quiet. No one said anything for a few moments, and kept their heads bowed. Leviathan was among them. He knew that the choice was partially offered to him and to the rest of them. Much as Wyvern disliked them…again, he disliked the fact that humans did things without his approving of it. He took that as another blow to his pride, and it angered him. He might have been a prideful, egotistical esper…but when it came to things engaging in Planet-threatening activities, he would destroy opposition much sooner than pursue his own jealousy. Leviathan wondered, if in what he just said…he might try making Leviathan an offer in the next few days.

In the end, however…he looked up and spoke quietly. "I think…" He began, which was, in fact, his decree. He only threw that supplement in for gloss, to show the non-members of his conspiracy that he was deferring to "Bahamut". "That we should wait just one more day, and see how things develop."

"_I_ think…" Wyvern murmured in response. "We have waited long enough…"

Nevertheless, Leviathan continued. In the end, he knew that Wyvern would be forced to obey him. "They just left Dali. They've seen what the Queen of Alexandria is plotting. This, coupled with the presence of her much-more-independent uncle, might be enough to push Garnet over the edge. In the meantime, we should go and collect as much information on we can to see where these shipments are going. Once we know where they are, we can destroy them all, in addition to Dali, in one fell swoop…if we need to. In addition, I want to know who gave them this technology, whether it was a human or whatever. This person must be struck down more than anyone else. And maybe, in light of what happened at Dali, he or she will find their own hand forced, and they will make an appearance."

Wyvern crossed his arms and grumbled that this was a waste of time. Odin himself was hesitant. But the other espers considered this only a moment before they began to slowly nod. This seemed to be the most prudent course of action, at least in the sense of sparing lives. They could continue to plot a move, not to mention a more educated strike, and avoid risking unnecessary human lives. The delay did make them all a bit uncertain, but perhaps it would be for the best. If the maker of this machine did come forth, then it would be worth the extra day.

"We _should_ take action after the day has passed." Leviathan reminded them all. "Waiting has indeed not served us well before. Come hell or high water, we will do _something_ if the situation hasn't improved." Here, he turned his head to the nearby espers. "Palidor…I think it would be best if you took Shiva's place as scout for the time being. You are far faster and have greater eyesight."

The esper readily nodded in response.

"We should dispense other espers as well." Leviathan added. "To spread out and find what is going on. Once they have completed their survey…or turn anything of interest up…they will return and we shall plan what sort of attack or measure we will take against these new armies."

* * *

"You're uneasy, aren't you?"

Leviathan sighed as he pulled off his shirt. He paused for a moment afterward, and then bowed his head. Slowly, he turned and sat on the edge of his bed. Starlet, already in her nightgown, lay upright nearby and looked to him. They did, of course, share a room in Terratopolis. Leviathan rarely slept. His physiology led him to normally stay awake for five days before sleeping. However, his latest five days were up, and he was getting ready to lie down. Besides…it would feel good to be next to his wife. Unlike humans, though the experience was pleasurable to them as well…espers rarely engaged in intercourse, even with their wives. They saved those moments for when they were trying to reproduce. The ultimate sign of an esper's love was to have a child with his or her mate, and so reproduction was very valued. The rest of the time they were intimate in other ways. But for now…Leviathan didn't even feel like that.

"It showed, did it?"

"Clearly." Starlet simply responded. "I know you too well. There was a time when you wouldn't have allowed the consideration of attacking humans to even be uttered in your presence. And now…I'm not sure what you're planning. You intend to actually go through with this?"

Leviathan didn't answer that. He stayed seated with his head bowed.

"…You've always been favoring Bahamut's policy of non-involvement. I'm a bit surprised. In light of recently…it sounds like you want us to take an active part in shaping human development for the first time since Griever. You've never done this before."

Leviathan turned his head in response. "That's not true. Remember Rydia?"

"You took her in because you knew, like we all did, that if she went to Baron she would die." Starlet simply answered. "As a dark knight, Cecil would have been powerless to help her. You saved her life by bringing her here. Besides…she had no family. We took her in as her new family. You may have shaped her destiny, but Bahamut himself was guilty of doing that on an individual level. This is much greater. If we did this…we'd actually be going out and telling humans, through our actions, that they will not develop this sort of technology in the future. We'd be forcing them to end this war before it began."

Leviathan hesitated. "…You don't sound too upset about it."

Starlet slowly sighed in response. "…I was always for only a little non-involvement. It seemed a very flexible definition to me. You know me. I wanted to take every last human with us into Terratopolis and tend to them like a flock of sheep. And it hurt me when I saw them start killing each other. I wanted a stop put to that. So perhaps I am able to take this more in stride. But more than anything, Leviathan…" Her tone turned sharper at this. "…just like you, I didn't want to become another Griever. I still don't."

Leviathan sighed and bowed his head, and then raised his hands up to massage his temples.

"…You know…we talk about Griever nowadays as if he was an abstract concept. As if he meant the same thing as involvement with the humans. You and I both know that can't be true. If that was the case, then we wouldn't have any kings, fearing they would be a new Griever. Don't you think it would be possible to be a ruler of this world and not wicked? For a long time, I doubted that was true. But now I think I may have been wrong. The question to me is now…exactly how far can we go? Where is the cutoff between keeping the human race from doing something terrible and controlling their destinies?" A pause…and then a snort. "And is controlling their destinies that much of a bad thing? They sure don't seem to learn enough from their mistakes…" He turned his head and bowed it again at this. For a moment, he sat in silence.

Starlet looked to him anxiously at this. What Leviathan said was troubling her. It looked as if he too was beginning to sway with the others…and she didn't like that. But most of all, she hated seeing him troubled like this. Slowly, she extended a hand and put it on his shoulder comfortingly.

"I trust you." She simply stated. "I've trusted you since we were little. I will believe that whatever you decide will be for the best."

Leviathan couldn't answer that. He continued to hold on as Starlet touched him. Eventually, the esper turned and lied down to go to sleep, releasing Leviathan for the moment. But the sea serpent in human form continued to sit up, and folded his hands in front of him and propped his head up. He was thinking more and more than Odin might be right. For years they had stayed away from the humans, sitting by while they made one tragic mistake after another. They were about to again, and this sort of movement could rearrange the political boundaries of the world and send civilization into another nosedive. Perhaps…at long last…it was time to remind them that they were not alone on this world. If they didn't, then what were they? If they stood by and let this happen, what sort of guardians of the world were they? What sort of protectors?

And had Griever once thought the same way?

Leviathan didn't know. This was too much trouble, and he had no answers. At last, he sighed and laid down against his bed himself, and tried to go to sleep.

* * *

Again, the sea serpent was unable to find rest. He attempted to lie in bed at least until the sky turned light again. He attempted to meditate. But in the end, it was useless. He was too worried and anxious. There was nothing for it. And so, he rose, got dressed, and walked about Terratopolis again.

Most of the night-dwelling espers were turning in by then. The sun was indeed rising, and it was rapidly turning brighter. Leviathan walked through all the hallways several times that morning, as everything else came to life. The other espers began to wake up as the sun continued to rise, and they too went about their business. Many of them were blissfully unaware of what was happening, which to Leviathan might not be a bad thing. He saw no one familiar, which was good. Because they would be wondering what time today Leviathan was going to issue an edict. That troubled him greatly as well. He didn't know what to say yet. He didn't know what to do. If the scouts reported nothing back, then he would be at a loss. He didn't want to attack a human city…but he didn't want to let this continue either.

_Bahamut…how did you ever deal with days like this?_

Hours went by as Leviathan continued to walk around the mountain. He stopped at a few openings to inhale the air deeply and bask in the glow of morning. But then, he would always turn and move on. Even pausing by parks to listen to nature no longer held an appeal for him. The sun cleared the horizon and continued to rise, until the day was as bright and clear as any other, but still he couldn't rest. Too much still concerned him. Too much was going wrong. And he still feared whatever decision he would have to make.

Finally, Leviathan retreated to the uppermost level of Terratopolis. There, the mountain peak was above the ground, and the espers could look out and see the world around them. Leviathan did so now. Where he stood was sort of a "crow's nest" with a ladder leading down back into the interior of the esper city. But he was free here to look out and scan the horizon. Looming far in the distance was Condo Petite, and farther back to his east was Madain Sarai. He sighed as he looked at them, as well as at the long, clear, mist-free plains and the ocean far beyond. And beyond that…he knew the Mist Continent was waiting for something new to unfold. At last, he turned his gaze back to the great Iifa Tree, visible even from this distance.

_And you._ He thought. _Where do you fit in to all of this?_

"Lord Leviathan!"

The sea esper heard fear on this voice the moment it spoke. That, more than anything, made him turn around in a flash. As he did so, he saw another esper quickly ascending the stairs to his crow's nest. It was Palidor, and she looked anxious and frightened as she finished climbing. She stood before Leviathan, and panted for a moment, struggling to catch her breath. Obviously, she had pushed herself hard to get here quickly. She was unable to speak for a moment, but then looked up dismally at him.

"Yes, Palidor?"

"Sir…it's terrible." She spoke in great anxiety. "This army of black mages…it attacked Burmecia. They slaughtered everything without mercy. They went through the streets destroying buildings and murdering women and children. All they kept chanting was, 'Kill'. They were wiped out within hours. Part of Garnet's group is going to it, but it will be too late when they get there."

Leviathan's blood turned to ice. He swallowed at this, and stared on. "…What of Garnet? Is she headed to Burmecia?"

"No, my lord. She refuses to listen to her uncle's claims that her mother has changed. She has abandoned those guarding her and is fleeing back to Alexandria to talk to her mother as we speak. She thinks she can make her abandon this mad campaign."

That was the worst news of all to the esper. He paled, and his face went livid with passion. "…Are you sure?"

"She has already made it as far as Treno."

The sea esper hesitated. As he did…his earlier doubt and fear began to dissolve. In its place…he began to grow very, _very _angry. His jaw tightened, his fists clenched, and he glared at the sky as he stood there.

_That…stupid…STUPID girl!_

_How blind can she be! How much does the truth have to slap her over the head until she realizes that the queen is not her friend and doesn't love her! Is she so foolish…so lacking in faith…so inexperienced with human nature that she can't see that? See what is obvious to all others! Her wretched foster mother already has an army of abominations…and now, she'll walk right in there and give her the ability to summon espers as well! This has gone on long enough… I should have done this from the start. I shouldn't have been so cowardly…_

Thinking these thoughts, blazing with new anger, Leviathan turned and glared at Palidor. As he did, he used the full extent of his telepathy to send out a message to all other espers in their coalition. That done, he sneered and seethed.

"…Then our worst fears have been realized. The time of waiting is over. It is now time to act."

With that, Leviathan nearly pushed by Palidor and began to descend the stairs. The bird esper, shocked at Leviathan's sudden change in behavior, hesitated a moment, but then swallowed and followed after him.

"All is not lost, my lord… She is going back, but she hasn't consented to use the espers in the Queen's service. From what it looks like, she hates this war. She's going back to try and talk her out of-"

"I will not sit back and trust that coward of a summoner any longer." Leviathan cut off, his tone growing sharp as he finished descending. He turned and began to walk down the hall next, and Palidor quickly fell in behind him and walked after him. "I can't trust her any longer. She's made far too many mistakes. This one might cost her more than mere prudence if we don't act quickly. I no longer trust her with the Queen. It is clear to me now that, in the end, she'll do whatever the fat, miserable excuse of a woman tells her to do."

"But…"

Palidor's protests were soon lost. As Leviathan stormed down the hallway, the nearest two espers he had called were already coming forth. Odin and Shiva were walking up ahead, and were making right for him. Once they met, Leviathan stopped, and they too halted right before him. Their looks were grim as they stared at him. Seeing Leviathan's own hard face, they realized that this had to be bad news without even asking for it.

"Odin…go to Dali and turn it into a crater. Give them a ten minute ultimatum to evacuate, but not a second more."

The warrior esper, never one for much mercy, merely gave a nod in response. In reality…he would have destroyed the town as soon as they got there if Leviathan hadn't given him directions to offer them a chance to leave. He was more than ready to wipe these abominations from the face of the Mist Continent. He turned without a word and marched away again. Palidor swallowed and opened her mouth to protest…but was too timid to do so. Meanwhile, Leviathan turned to the ice esper.

"Shiva…go to Alexandria and get Garnet. I don't care if you have to turn half of their kingdom into an iceberg, _get her. _Bring her back here immediately. She's had her chance to build some self-confidence. Now, _I _will be taking over. So help me…she _will_ accept her responsibilities even if I have to beatthem into her."

Shiva merely looked darkly back. "She commands me. Once I reach her, all she has to do is scream in fear for me not to touch her to keep me from laying one finger on her, much less bring her back here."

Leviathan hesitated at that. Good point. However, he only thought for a brief moment about it, and then made a single cold statement.

"…Freeze her."

Palidor nearly gasped at this. Shiva herself raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Freeze her. Once she gets here, she'll be revived."

"It will be a very painful experience for her…especially when she is thawed."

"I don't care!" Leviathan found himself nearly yelling back, tired for this delay. Shiva was taken aback slightly. "She had her chance to do this painlessly. Now, she's too much of a liability to herself and to the rest of the world. Sneak up on her, freeze her in a shard of ice, and then bring the shard back here. Understand?"

Shiva still hesitated. Cold as she was, she didn't like the sound of that. She never thought Leviathan would do such extreme measures. Yet after holding a moment longer, she closed her mouth again. She gave a slight nod, and then turned without a word to go and do as she was told.

Leviathan panted a moment, still a bit overwhelmed at how he had lost his temper. Slowly trying to calm himself down, he reached up and ran his fingers through his hair. Yes…Garnet would no doubt be in a lot of pain once Shiva was done with her. But he didn't care. He had lost all patience with the girl. She was the best chance of stopping this nightmare army, and she was waltzing right back into the hands of the Queen. She obviously couldn't make decisions for herself. It seemed _he_ would have to make decisions for her. After all…isn't that what she liked to do? Let other people decide her life for her?

"…Are you sure the king will approve of these drastic measures, Lord Leviathan?"

The sea esper sighed and closed his eyes. "Believe me, Palidor…if not for me he would have done far worse long before now."

* * *

"Well…I hate to say I told you so, but…I've been warning you about this for years."

Leviathan didn't answer that. He sat down on the steps of Wyvern's throne and nervously drummed his fingers instead. By now, everyone else had gathered, and now they waited endlessly in the throne room for signs of the slightest change. They had heard little, but it was still somewhat early. It would take Shiva all day to reach Alexandria, unfortunately. And even with Slepnir, it would take some time for Odin to get back. He wondered exactly how much time had passed. While they struggled to beat them, he wondered what was going on in that world. He tried not to think of the death sentence he no doubt proclaimed on them when he did this.

Starlet, downcast and fearful, leaned against a wall and gazed at Leviathan. She had claimed she trusted him…but after what he had ordered she was growing skeptical. Palidor was gone, having been sent out to report the situation as soon as possible. Ramuh was there, nervously pacing. Wyvern was up in his throne as well. Ifrit, canine and bestial as he was, also tensely drummed his long talons on the ground. He was eager for his own wife to return, and was fearful about what might have happened. Strong as she was, there was no telling what kind of power the black mages held…or what she would run into.

The room was silent. No one said anything other than an occasional comment at this point. They had been here most of the day, eagerly awaiting word of some change. Starlet had busied herself for a few hours preparing a human-sized room for their new "guest", but other than that no real activity had taken place in the hall. Ramuh slowly exhaled, and raised a crystal ball from his side and looked to it. Some sage-like espers used these as timepieces, keeping track of how many hours and minutes had passed in a day. He stared a moment, and then sighed and looked back to the others.

"Well…by now they would have had enough time to get there and be well on their way back." He told them. "We could expect either one of them at any moment."

Everyone was silent to this. They looked up and listened to Ramuh, but then turned back and resumed their waiting. Leviathan himself continued to nervously tap his fingers, and hope that he had made the right decision.

Time continued to go by. The sun set again, and lamps were lit in the meeting hall. The espers grew hungry, although none left to eat. They paced and sat and watched as the hours continued to pass. And hours did indeed pass. Contrary to Ramuh's prediction, much later in the night they still hadn't returned. Leviathan dismissed this easily enough early on. But as time continued to go by…as the hours continued to go by…his finger drumming increased in intensity and frequency. He began to swallow and grow anxious. More time passed, and yet still they had not come back. Leviathan, growing impatient, stretched out his mental ability to try and find them. But he couldn't even see them coming. They weren't anywhere close to Terratopolis.

The others began to realize this as well with time…and they too grew nervous. It was silly, really. An esper was more than a match for anything else on the Planet. And yet…things were not conventional anymore. There were these bizarre soldiers…the Iifa Tree…war looming… He didn't know what else was going to come of all this. He was certain when they left that the two espers could easily destroy any city or army that opposed them. But now…he began to grow uneasy. What if there was some sort of new secret weapon that the humans had? After all, they had surprised them with that black mage machine. What if they had other tools? And if so…were they actually great enough to damage an esper? Ridiculous as it seemed…it was a possibility. And as time went by, and no return or even word of a delay came…it was becoming a more real possibility.

It was past midnight when finally one of their group had enough. Snarling like a dog, Ifrit stretched up his neck and pounded a clawed fist into the ground. Ifrit showed almost continuously the single emotion of anger. But many times…like now…that was used to cover up any other emotion he was feeling, such as fear. "This is crap!" He sneered. "Shiva would have been back by now! What's keeping her!"

"Patience, Ifrit." Ramuh cautioned.

"Patience nothing!" The fire esper spat back. "She's been gone too long! I'm going to see what happened!" With that, Ifrit rose from where he was on the ground and immediately began to storm for the door.

Yet the others reacted to this. If the humans had done something to the other espers…unbelievable as it was…what if they did the same to him? Leviathan himself whirled around and called out to him. "Shiva can handle anything thrown at her, Ifrit. But if she can't…then it's too dangerous. You can't go out alone."

"You cowards can stay here and rot if you like." Ifrit blasted back as he stormed to the door. He smashed it open with one large fist, and quickly exited. "But I'm going to go find my wife! And I'll drag that dumb summoner along too if I have to!" Then, not staying for anymore protests…Ifrit slammed the door behind him. It shuddered the entire room, and the stone actually cracked a little.

The other espers stared hopelessly after him, and then gave up. Starlet sighed. "What a hot head…"

"I seriously doubt they're in trouble." Wyvern murmured. "No weakling human could stop an esper."

Leviathan stared silently at the door. Actually…he felt like he could agree with Wyvern on that fact. An esper's power was greater than any other on the face of the Planet. However…he was still nervous for one very good reason, and it was the same reason he was a little grateful that Ifrit, an unbonded esper, was going out to check out the situation.

There was one who could command both Shiva and Odin easily…

* * *

Neither Ifrit nor Shiva were the best at flying. Like most espers, they had to rely on levitation if they wanted to propel themselves somewhere. However, there were ways they could get around this. If a good cold wind came by, Shiva would dematerialize into ice fragments and let the weather take her where she wanted to go. Ifrit himself could ride the flow of magma that circulated through the Planet. He had decided to do this. There was an access point within Terratopolis, and once plunging in he rode it all the way to Alexandria. Unlike any other flesh and blood creature, the fire esper had no trouble at all bathing himself in flames. The hotter the better, in fact. He could stay in the fire as long as he needed.

Nevertheless, despite this advantage, it was mid-afternoon of the next day when Ifrit punched through the cool crust of the ground and burst out onto the surface of the Planet. He shuddered with discomfort as his great horned, canine body was exposed. After bathing so long in searing hot liquid, it was frigid for him to emerge into the normal world. It didn't help that there were clouds in the sky, and the day was very overcast. It could mean…he thought with a grimace…rain. Horrible, wet, cold rain. Nevertheless, he was soon exposed. Once he was, he looked around a bit to get a good look at his surroundings. It appeared he was in the forest surrounding Alexandria. Sure enough, a bit ahead the work-in-progress loomed as the city bustled over it. Seeing this, Ifrit gave a nod, and then finally used his Auto-aero ability. Soon, his body was wreathed in heat, and he rose up into the sky. Once there, he began to hover forward, and scanned his surroundings as he did so.

The fire esper saw little signs of anything right off the bat. He wasn't really expecting to emerge from the ground and find Shiva, but it was still worth a shot. Now, he slowly hovered forward and looked over the area. He had enough ability to scan for the presence of another esper, and he did so. He gradually began to increase his range asgrew closer to Alexandria. He thought of calling out to her after a few moments…but realized that was stupid even for him. She might not even be in the area. If she wasn't, it was a waste of time.

Ifrit only scanned a few minutes, however…when he picked up something. He saw a flicker of energy nearby. Immediately, the fire esper turned his head to it, and proceeded to rush forward a bit faster. He continued to scan it all the while, trying to get more information on it. After a moment…to his delight…he recognized the signature. It was Shiva. Quickly, he doubled his speed again and went forward in that direction, overjoyed and grinning from ear to ear.

For a moment, forest rushed beneath the flaming esper as he made his way further east, toward the mountains. He looked earnestly out for signs of Shiva, all the while focusing on her power. Yet after a few more seconds, he saw her. A tinge of white, sticking out quite clearly from the greenery despite the dark day, became visible. As he rushed closer toward it, he saw that it was female shaped. It was her. He had found her! What more, her power seemed to be intact, and he couldn't detect any distress or pain. She was fine. That relieved the fire esper greatly, and he continued to approach her as fast as he could.

Something did puzzle him, however…after a few more moments. Surely Shiva had to pick up on his signature by now. So why wasn't she coming to greet him? He knew that she was cold…and rarely showed her emotion…but that seemed unusual of her regardless. Yet he shrugged it off. He merely grinned wider as he started making out the details of her clothing. He soon saw that she had her back to him, but he didn't care. He only continued to come, until he was at last only a short distance away.

There, he stopped. Both espers hovered in mid-air. Ifrit panted a bit from his own exertion. As for Shiva…she showed nothing. She kept her back to him and didn't even give him a nod. Ifrit didn't care much. Shiva was always like that. Always giving everyone the cold shoulder, to pardon the pun.

"Hey you." Ifrit called playfully to the female esper. "What's cookin'? Or in your case, chillin'?"

The esper didn't move.

Ifrit frowned a bit at that. That joke _always_ made her laugh, despite how cold and controlled she always was. She was being rather harsh today…

"Um…whatever. So, did you get the summoner?"

No response, and no movement.

Ifrit's face twisted at that. He felt himself grow a bit uneasy. He reached up a long claw and scratched his red mane. "Er…hello, Shiva?" He finally called out, his voice uneasy. "You there?"

Nothing.

At this, the fire esper, who replaced all of his emotions with anger…including the growing feeling of nervousness and anxiety that he was getting from this…frowned and sneered at her. "Hey!" He barked. "What's the big idea? Why aren't you saying anything? I'm right here! Turn around and look at me already!"

At last, at that, Shiva did respond. Slowly, she rotated in mid-air and turned to face Ifrit fully. The fire esper looked up to her with a grouchy look as she did. However…his own look only lasted until he fully saw Shiva's expression, and saw her own eyes pierce his more coldly than they had ever done before.

Her icy blue gaze now burned bright red.

"What the-!"

_"Diamond Dust!"_

That was all Ifrit could remember before he was slammed with monstrous ice shards.

* * *

Leviathan suddenly gasped. Abruptly, he fell forward and grabbed for his chest. But he wasn't alone. Every esper…regardless of how in tune they were with the Planet or how weak…did much the same thing. The weak ones caught the breath in their throats for a moment, while the stronger ones actually felt pain from what had happened. At once, the entire dwelling of Terratopolis went totally silent, as every esper hesitated and felt this. The sea esper himself stared forward, clutching himself as he felt his pain slowly subside. Yet even as it did, he felt the change that had happened.

He had felt something very strong…a ripple in the Lifestream. It was almost the equivalent of a flash flood in real life. Tied to the Planet, he felt it strongly as it occurred. Him, and any other creature that could feel the Lifestream. If there were any Cetra left, they no doubt felt the same. Yet what truly began to worry him as time went on was what was the source.

The only thing that could cause that ripple would be the sudden, instant death of thousands.

The other espers slowly recovered. They groaned or shook their heads, but all began to look up in the chamber once again. When they did, they all turned and looked to one another in surprise. None of them knew what to say initially, or what to make of that. They, after all, hadn't theorized as Leviathan had as to what would be the cause of the ripple in the Lifestream. They knew only that it had occurred, not what had caused it. But Leviathan did, and there was no mistaking it. After a moment to recover, he wheeled around and stared at them with a new look of ferocity.

"We're leaving. All of us. To Alexandria. _Now._"

* * *

_To be continued..._


	3. Responsibility

_One Day Later_

"Ifrit! Where are you?"

"Shiva! Are you out there, Shiva?"

Leviathan grimaced a bit at this. He couldn't believe this was what they were reduced to. Trudging around in a forest in the middle of the night calling out as if they were looking for lost children. He had taken the council itself right here to the Alexandrian forest. Not sensing high nor hair of Shiva or Ifrit, they had been forced to change into human forms and proceed to look for them. Leviathan, of course, usually stayed in human form, and it wasn't a problem. Starlet only had to lower her height a bit. Ramuh merely decreased the size of his long beard and changed his clothes. Palidor had a bit more trouble, but now she looked around as a young woman with bright pink hair. That left Wyvern. He had never learned much besides how to become more powerful, but luckily he learned long ago how to transform himself into a human. Still…the mechanical replacements caused some problems. Now, a cross, irritable black-haired man walked behind them, normal save for a full piece of arm armor covering one of his limbs, and a low helmet with visor covering his eyes. He seemed not to care that much about either of them. Leviathan himself hoped they found some sign of them too. Otherwise, citizens might overhear their little "human" search party, come down, and ask why they hadn't notified the authorities if they were missing people.

"We can't sense them." Wyvern simply stated. "So they're either not here or dead."

Leviathan frowned and ignored this. Not here? Possibly. Dead? Not likely. If they were dead, he would have picked up on their magicite. This was still peculiar, however. There were no signs of a struggle. No humans were running around in panic in the wake of an ice queen attack. That meant that Shiva had never successfully attacked the place. Yet en route to this location, they had encountered no difficulties. There wasn't any reason she shouldn't have made it here. So why would she have run off without completing her tasks?

Too many things were going wrong, the sea esper thought. He was growing uneasier all the time. At any rate, he pushed his way on forward through the foliage, looking around for signs of either of the missing espers. Yet he didn't get much farther. He pushed away one branch, and immediately found himself staring into the face of a gigantic, earth colored serpent that had managed to blend in with the area rather well. On seeing this, Leviathan cried out a bit in panic and leapt back. The serpent did too, also flying back in surprise. After they both did, however, Leviathan groaned and glared at him.

"Terrato! Confound it all! I told you that if you left the project, be in human form!"

The great snake swallowed in response. "My apologies, my lord. But I never was that good at transformation. Besides…" Here, the snake calmed himself and became quieter. "…After what we saw happened to Ifrit, we didn't want to risk walking around searching for more espers unless we were in our true bodies."

At this, Leviathan hesitated. The rest of the members of his search party were making their way to him now, and on seeing Terrato they likewise stopped looking and began to approach the sea esper. Soon, they were forming a group behind him. Wyvern was first, stopping right behind Leviathan and crossing his arms. "What are you talking about? You found Ifrit? What happened to him?"

To this, Terrato formed a look of puzzlement. "What…you don't know?"

"Know what?" Wyvern asked coldly.

The earth esper swallowed on hearing that. He began to grow nervous soon after. He turned his head from side to side, and as he did Leviathan sensed that there was a great deal of fear in the heart of this esper…even terror. As he continued to scan, however, he noticed that further into the forest, there were other pockets of similar terror. Each one was filled with horrible dread and unease. Obviously…something very bad had happened.

"…Let me gather together the rest of my search party first." Terrato finally answered as he looked back to his king. "Then we should all go back to the monolith. I'll tell you there…"

* * *

"Oh my god…"

"That's why we're glad you are here, Lady Starlet. We don't have any healers among us…"

There had been places set up for the working espers to sleep who filled the stone monolith. This was where Ifrit had been laid. It wasn't much, but it was a place for him to be more comfortable. And that was what he needed right now. His skin was covered with horrible jagged lacerations. Many parts of his flesh were dead…turning black from severe frostbite. Three of his claws had been snapped and one of his horns were broken off. He looked to be in a lot of pain, moaning and writhing. Starlet only watched him a moment before immediately leaning over his body and getting to work.

As for the others, they had joined with Terrato's group now. The two sets of espers filled the "dormitory" of the stone monolith. Leviathan's group had mostly reverted back into esper form, although Leviathan stayed human (it got him around easier on land…and Starlet liked it). The others were in their esper forms as well. Leviathan was a bit afraid that Wyvern was here. But fortunately, he was too cross and unthinking to realize that what he was in was being built specifically for his destruction. Much of the espers within failed to know its true intention as well. Terrato looked very grim, and their whole assembly seemed to tremble with their attempts to restrain their fear. Yet once Ifrit was being mended, Terrato looked back to Leviathan.

"Most of us had turned in for the night. I was up near the head, tightening some larger bolts. That's when I heard the commotion. The whole castle began to get excited because the princess had returned. And I knew that wasn't exactly what you desired, so I went to go check it out for myself. Luckily, when the castle was built over our own little piece of work, they had connected the sewers to it. And after eight hundred years of construction, I had learned my way around them.

"So I made my way into the castle and headed straight for the princess' bedroom. Once I got there, I found out things were already underway. Those two imps were taking her off to the Queen's. So I took a minor detour and made my way there next. By the time I got there, I heard the old fatty rattling off some BS story about why she felt it necessary to go about ruthlessly slaughtering the entire population of Burmecia. And of course, our little summoner fell for it hook, line, and sinker."

Leviathan tried hard not to curse at that. Wyvern, not caring for reservations, spat a rather nasty word out loud. "And now, the fool is probably helping them."

"Actually, no." Terrato responded to that. "I don't know if she would have in the end, but it appears that her royal fatness didn't care to risk it. Someone came in soon after. I didn't get a physical look at him, but I could detect his spirit. He was evil, my lords. Insidiously evil. He had no thought but bringing pain and causing misery. He cared nothing for anyone in the room or in the world. To him…the only life that had any meaning or importance to it was his own. And sirs…he too was an anomaly."

Leviathan reacted to that, as did Ramuh. This was interesting…though not unexpected. He had thought for some time now that the anomalies he detected would one day be problems. He had only reconsidered that thought when the one with the tail ended up being rather helpful to the esper cause.

What the espers meant by anomalies was just that…the individuals were abnormal in reference to all other individuals. Leviathan had never engaged in a full body scan of the one he knew of, but he knew that they were unusual. Every esper did. All creatures, from the dawn of time until now, that had been born on Gaia had their own specific signature. It was some sort of protocol, if you will, just like the basic twenty amino acids made up all proteins in all living things. Only this one was specific to their spirits. It allowed all spirits that entered the Lifestream, no matter how strange, to meld together and have a degree of "sameness" about them. Yet the monkey boy lacked it. It was totally different. Leviathan had never seen anything like it. The closest he ever came, since he began to seriously identify spirits, was over a thousand years ago. When he had been summoned by Rydia into the Giant of Bab-Il, he had noticed a strange man with them…and he sensed that his spirit was vastly different compared to that of a normal human. Later, Rydia told him that this person was actually an alien from another world.

Until now, he had given the monkey boy a berth because he had conducted himself just like a human, and all who knew him thought of him as a human.

Now, however, he was beginning to put two and two together. If the technology that made these black mages was really that far beyond humanity…then perhaps it was an alien that had given it to them.

At any rate, Terrato continued. "He cast an extremely powerful spell on Garnet…well above what any standard mage can do. It put her into some sort of induced coma. After that, the two little imps dragged her away to the bottom of the castle. And there…" Terrato paused for a moment, and swallowed. The rest of his group likewise hesitated.

"What?" Wyvern impatiently asked.

"…None of us knew this was possible, my lords." Terrato spoke in an almost apologetic tone. "We had no idea that the princess would be born with the innate ability to summon espers inside her…powerful espers, in fact…"

To this, Leviathan felt his heart beat a bit faster. That was, in fact, his doing. The cat might be out of the bag after today. People might start to question how she could have possibly had the natural ability to summon Shiva, Odin, Atomos, and Wyvern. Nevertheless…the deception couldn't last forever. He would have to deal with this. Right now, he wanted to know what had happened.

But before he could, something else happened.

"Uh…"

At this, all of the espers in the room turned and looked to the source of the sound. They found themselves looking at Wyvern. However, his face had suddenly turned into one of displeasure. He winced for a moment, furrowed his face as if he felt some irritation. Then, he raised a hand to his head and touched it. He held a few seconds, but then it seemed to pass. He looked back up and out to them. He seemed a bit unnerved, but not much else.

Leviathan himself began to turn back to the others…and stopped on seeing them.

They were all still frozen, and were much more fearful than before. They stared at Wyvern as if he was the devil incarnate.

"Er…uh…"

Two more sounds went out soon after. Leviathan turned back, and saw that Wyvern had changed. Now, his teeth were gritting. He raised both hands to his head this time. He breathed harder, and bowed his skull slightly. He seemed to be in more acute pain this time. And soon, he started to stiffen and shake. He held a moment, shaking his head slowly. As he did, his anger started to grow. He focused and pushed back mentally at something…

"Get…out of…my head…"

At that, Leviathan heard a rush of movement behind him. He turned back around, and saw that Terrato had changed. The serpant had reared up in a position to strike. The other espers were likewise taking defensive positions. Their faces were full of fear now…and they began to edge back away from Wyvern. Leviathan didn't have to be a genius to know what was going on. They were afraid of him…

Wyvern gave a slight "ugh", and again he seemed to be free. Breathing a bit harder now, he looked back up and massaged his temples. He was starting to sweat a little, and he looked as if it had only been with tremendous strain that he had thrown this latest thing off. Yet it didn't last. Abruptly, he seemed to nearly be flung into a fetal crouch by an invisible force. Now, Wyvern opened his mouth and did cry out. He began to sweat harder now, and his whole body trembled. Pain seemed to wrack his head, and he seized it with both fists and struggled to try and force it out. He locked his teeth together and grit them hard. He nearly fell to the ground, and began to writhe where he stood, all the while clutching his head and crying out. Leviathan himself found that he began to step back from the esper…as did his group. The others were trembling hard now…and they looked ready to move on him in another second. But just as they did…Wyvern sneered, and balled his hands into fists.

"Are…you…deaf…?" He nearly seethed to some invisible person. Then, summoning all of his power, he blasted forth in an earth-shattering voice. _"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"_

Immediately, the pain vanished in Wyvern's brain. He was once again clear and focused. The other espers continued to stare at him, silent and stunned as they watched him snap his head up and bellow that note, which continued to echo through the air after he did so. However…what none of them realized was that, at that particular moment, ten black mages deep within Alexandria's castle, who until now had been chanting together in one unified spell…suddenly died as their brains exploded.

There was silence in the chamber for a few moments. Wyvern was panting now, seeming to relax after a tremendous effort. The others didn't move as he slowly calmed down. However, when he began to brush his hair back afterward, developing a calmer look, his group began to relax. Leviathan leaned back down and eased his own tension, though he continued to look at him. And after his group calmed, and Wyvern didn't breathe so hard, the others began to calm as well. They all continued to stare at Wyvern nervously, however.

"What happened, my lord?" Ramuh finally asked.

Wyvern sneered at this. "They thought they could summon me so easily…"

Leviathan raised an eye at that. "You mean…you were able to resist Garnet summoning you?"

Wyvern turned to him and scowled. "Did I say 'she' or 'they'? Listen when I say something!" He spat back. "This wasn't some stupid hornless summoner. When I was being called, I saw some of those damn little black mages doing it in my mind. First it was just one. The second time there were five of them. The third there were ten."

"Black mages?" Starlet uttered in disbelief.

"Did I stutter?" Wyvern half-snapped back. "Yes, black mages! Or whatever those damn things are!"

Leviathan furrowed his brow at this and shook his head. "That's can't be right. Simple little mages like them shouldn't be able to summon… They don't even have the right bloodlines."

"…My lords…they can now, I'm afraid."

Again, Wyvern was forgotten, and Leviathan's group turned back to the other. They were more calm now, but they were also still very nervous and frightened. This latest incident only increased their fear. They looked nervously to one another before turning back to Leviathan and continuing. Terrato was very quiet and nervous now.

"As I said, my lords…I didn't know that the princess had espers inside her…but she did. I'm not sure how they managed to do it, but somehow the imps managed to _extract_ them. Now…Queen Brahne has the ability to use her black mages to seize control of us and make her do her bidding."

All sound in the room seemed to cease. Even generalized movement stopped, and the breath caught in the throats of the new espers. Leviathan thought he felt his heart skip when that happened. His eyes widened in shock, and he stared blankly on at Terrato. His group bowed their heads, continuing to look rueful and downcast. After a moment, an uneasy smile went on Leviathan's face as he shook his head.

"No…that's not possible."

"Sir…"

"You are mistaken. You saw an image or something. That can't happen."

"My lord…"

"It _can't_, Terrato!" Leviathan nearly yelled, losing his calm demeanor as his denial took over his rationality. "It's not possible! No human can control an esper!"

At this, however, Terrato's face turned grim and hard. He could tell that Leviathan was in denial, and that made him angry. He wasn't lying. He hadn't seen all of this happen just to be denied so easily. He looked up to Leviathan at this and glared at him.

"With all due respect, my lord…" He began, his own voice growing fierce and cold. "Tell that to Ifrit. Or better yet…tell that to the people in Cleyra, assuming any are left. Odin turned the Cleyra settlement into a smoldering crater at Brahne's order not twenty-four hours ago."

Starlet gasped and held a hand to her mouth. Ramuh staggered and balanced himself on his staff. Even Wyvern gazed in utter shock. And as for Leviathan…his anger faded and was replaced with fear. He bowed his own head and was silent. Everyone became quiet again. The sea esper swallowed. He held a hand to his head. This…he could not deny. He knew, just as they knew, that the source of the ripple in the Lifestream had to come from that. But this being the cause…this horrible act…how could it possibly be true?

Leviathan stared at the ground in disbelief. Could an esper like Odin really be bent to someone else's will? Could he really do such a terrible thing? At once, however…he realized they had tried to do that only a few minutes ago. That's what the black mages were doing. They attempted to seize control of Wyvern as well. And when one failed, they merely increased their number. Odin was strong…one of the strongest of their race. Yet if they were able to pool their efforts together, then they could conceivably force him to do this. The only reason they hadn't done so with Wyvern was because the great red esper was far beyond Odin in terms of power. Even a score of them wouldn't turn him that easily. And yet…he knew the real reason that they were able to seize control of Odin…

_Because of me._

On realizing that, Leviathan felt a horrible weight in his heart. He closed his eyes,and clutched at his own chest again and exhaled a blast of air in pain. It was his fault. It was all his fault. He never thought that the humans could do something like this, but he was wrong. He was the one who tied Shiva, Odin, Atomos, and Wyvern to Rydia. He was the reason Garnet had their powers within her, right for the Queen to one day take. Because of him and his miscalculation, she had managed to take control of them. And now…thousands had died as a result. The Queen not only was now Odin's master…she had been crazy enough to slaughter so many. Leviathan knew that Cleyra was peaceful. They would never have been able to fight back against her. Even an Alexandria army could have taken them. Yet that miserable woman…she had destroyed them all…because she wanted to delight in her newfound powers.

She killed countless innocent men, women, and children…for fun.

Everyone was silent after that. Who could speak in response to this? Yet after a bit longer, one did manage to speak up. Wyvern looked up and glared out…but not before staring at Leviathan once and giving a sneer. It was a miracle that he was so strong. If he had managed to fall under Brahne's control as well, they would have been doomed.

"I take it that's what happened to Ifrit. He had an encounter with Shiva."

Terrato slowly exhaled, and then nodded.

Starlet wiped her eyes as she continued to shed tears, both for her race and for the thousands of innocents. Ramuh drew in a deep breath and steadied himself. Then, he looked up to the group again. "And…Garnet?"

"She was left in the coma. Now that the Queen has established the fact that she can control the espers without her help, she won't risk her one day rising against her. She's been ordered to be executed at midnight."

Wyvern snorted. "Good. Otherwise, I'd have her killed myself…"

Not many shared Wyvern's sentiments. In the eyes of Terrato's group, Garnet was just an innocent bystander. To the other group members, who knew more of the story, some of them felt as if she was getting what she deserved for being so foolish. Leviathan himself felt that Garnet's indecision had just sentenced her world to death, and had endured more than enough of her stupidity and faithlessness. Yet at the same time…he realized what a horrible state of affairs they were in. Wyvern was not controlled now, but he could be if more black mages tried in the future. And if he was, then their only defense would be the holy esper. And Eiko alone couldn't summon him. They'd need at least two summoners. Much as he grew to hate this girl…he needed her alive.

However, both he and everyone else was soon snapped out of their thoughts about this. Far above them, way toward the top of the monolith, they heard a sharp quaking noise. It was mild from within here, but it did echo. And it wasn't all. As silent as they all were, they managed to soon hear sounds of a commotion. Within moments, all of the espers were looking back up toward the ceiling.

"What is that?" Palidor asked.

Leviathan didn't know, but he didn't waste time waiting. Immediately, he used his Auto-aero technique to make himself levitate, and ascended to the top of the structure. Seeing this, Wyvern immediately took off after him, and Ramuh himself used his levitation to bring his body up to Leviathan's level. Within a few moments, the three had managed to cross the entire threshold of the monolith and were at the top level. Above them, under a few feet of stone, was the bottom level of the Alexandrian dungeon. Leviathan gave pause here and listened, as did the others as they fell in behind. The commotion was clearer sounding here, but it was already fading, as if what was causing it was going farther away.

"Well, what's happening?" Wyvern impatiently asked.

"I can't tell." Leviathan answered. After that, however, he closed his eyes and began to focus. "Hold on a moment…"

Wyvern sneered and crossed his arms. "You sound just like my brother…"

Leviathan didn't answer that. He began to stretch out with his mind instead. He couldn't hear or see what was happening…but he might be able to sense the presence of individuals and their mental signals from this distance. As he continued to scan, trying to reach out and find them, Ramuh and Wyvern went silent, while the other espers below began to make their way up right behind them. Only they used stairs, ladders, and elevators instead. The sea esper paid them no mind, and continued to reach out and search…until something stood out for him to lock on to. It was an anomaly. He wasn't sure which one at first…but when he touched it he immediately sensed good, if somewhat reckless and misguided, emotions from it.

"The monkey boy is here." He announced, keeping his eyes closed and continuing to scan.

Wyvern snorted. "Ah…a regular knight in shining armor…" He sarcastically responded.

"Other members of their band are here…and they're fighting. It's hard to tell all of what's going on… I think they're upstairs by now, but there's so many signatures running around that…" Leviathan paused a moment. "Damn."

"What?" Ramuh asked.

"The Paladin is coming. Her own power dwarfs theirs, and I sense a willingness to kill them."

This only made Wyvern more cross. "I thought that Paladins were supposed to be helping good people. And now they serve the fat sack of lard?"

"They serve whatever family they swore fealty to…an obnoxious human custom that clouds judgment." Leviathan simply answered. "Now quiet. Perhaps they'll get lucky…"

The two espers were forced to go silent as Leviathan continued to sense what was happening. As he did, one by one the other espers began to come to the top of the stairs. They slowly stepped forward and joined them, and on seeing Leviathan concentrating they patiently waited on the sidelines. Even from this far down…they could hear the tremendous amount of violence upstairs as the Paladin fiercely assaulted her opponents. A few minutes passed, before things went silent again. When they did, Leviathan didn't change. He continued to stay silent and focused. On seeing that, the others began to grow a bit puzzled. Wyvern looked back to him.

"What happened? Did she slaughter them?"

"Shh!" Leviathan hushed. Growling, Wyvern crossed his arms again and waited. Time ticked by slowly, and another few minutes of silence passed. When it at last stopped, the sounds of violence began again. And this time…it was coming back down once more. When it did, however, Leviathan sighed in what appeared to be relief, and opened his eyes a moment.

"It's about time someone was smart enough to do the right thing…"

"What happened?" Ramuh immediately asked.

"The Paladin was poised to kill them, but after the monkey boy pointed out the obviousness of the danger that her princess was in, she finally decided to think for herself rather than slaughter mindlessly in the Queen's name like the rest of the black mages. She even had enough power to dispel the coma the other anomaly put on Garnet. Now, she and a few others are covering their escape. They're headed right back down to the basement."

"What good will that do them?" Palidor asked incredulously.

"That's how the princess got into the castle from Treno." Terrato explained. "The old Gargant transportation system runs down here. If they can make it to the bottom, they might be able to go on to Treno. Of course…they're some problems."

The other espers, save Leviathan, turned and looked to him at that. "What sort of problems?"

"I am a snake esper…and I can easily track large serpents." Terrato answered. "There's a big one in the cave. No Gargant in the world would go near it."

No one knew what to say in reply, and so they turned back to Leviathan instead, and watched him for an update. Typically, he didn't speak for a few more minutes. The commotion came closer and closer to their level as he spoke. They heard not only the sounds of typical human fighting, but of magical blasts…and some sort of other sound that was definitely not human. At any rate, the sounds continued to come closer and closer, until they stopped and then began to cross in one direction. A few minutes later, and the commotion began to die down. The sounds of footsteps stopped, and after a few more loud sounds everything began to quiet. A few more minutes went by, and everything was silent. There was no other noise. After that, Leviathan bowed his head slightly, and shook it as his eyes opened again.

"They are out of my range."

"Did they make it to the Gargant?" Starlet asked nervously.

"Three did." Leviathan darkly answered. "Garnet, the monkey boy, and the black mage child. They had a smooth run until they went out of my range, but after that I'm not sure what happened." With that, Leviathan turned to Terrato. "Where was this serpent the last time you sensed it?"

Terrato frowned at that. "A bad position. The junction between the Treno line and a non-operational line. That line used to go to Lindbulm. But after a big washout destroyed half of it, it was abandoned. It comes out about five miles early now, at some place called Pinnacle Rocks."

"Do you think they can kill the serpent? Go to Treno?"

The earth esper frowned. "Possibly…but it's really not their choice. The Gargant may run right by the Treno exit if it's trying to get to stay away from the snake. In that case, it would go on to Pinnacle Rocks."

Leviathan hesitated at this. He turned and rubbed his chin. It appeared that they had some good luck for a change…but only at the price of terrible, terrible bad news. They couldn't afford to stay here long. They had to act quickly if they were going to do something about this. It seemed they still had a summoner after this, which meant his stone monolith could still come to life. Yet if the summoner didn't start taking command of some espers, then she was no use to them. He began to pray that this event had finally slapped her in the face and made her wake up to what was going on. Yet even if it did, she had already lost her espers. He didn't know how the fat cow…or perhaps this other anomaly…had done it, but they were now under her command. That in itself was a major concern…but now she had to learn how to use espers all over again. And to that end…she had to get the appropriate gems to replace the function of her horn. All of this would take time…time that they didn't have. Yet they had to devote their energy, at least in part, to making her become a true summoner.

Finally, Leviathan turned back to the others. First, he looked to Palidor and Ramuh. "Both of you…meet up with Garnet as soon as she lands. Palidor, you take the Treno exit. Ramuh, you take the one at Pinnacle Rocks. Now…" Here, Leviathan made his voice more firm and demanding. "I don't care how you do it… I don't care how long it takes… _Don't_ let her leave your sight until she agrees to take you on as her summon. Understood?"

Palidor readily nodded. Without a word, she turned and immediately took off back down the shaft, this time diving to get there more quickly. Ramuh, however…didn't change so easily. His face was not so compliant. In fact, it grew rather grim and he stared darkly back at Leviathan without moving. After a moment, the esper turned back to him.

"…Yes, Ramuh?"

"With all due respect, sir," Ramuh quietly and calmly answered. "It was, quite honestly, Garnet's fault that these espers are now doing damage to the world. She was too weak to stand up for herself and what she knew was right when the time came. She was too weak to assume her responsibilities. Pardon me…but I feel a little uneasy granting my power to a girl who could just as easily hand me over to Brahne as she did Odin and Shiva. I won't help her if all she'll do is cower and hide from her duties."

Leviathan sighed in reply to this. Much as he hated to admit it, Ramuh had a point. Yet he couldn't be bothered too much with logic right now. There was no time. "…What do you suggest, Ramuh?"

"I want to test her."

Leviathan frowned in reply. "No. You're too strong for those three."

"Not like that." Ramuh answered immediately. "More of a test of her resolve, and her mental standing. I want to see if she is willing to commit herself to using her espers from now on and standing against the Queen."

The sea esper sighed in response, and rubbed his temple. "…Fine. But don't take too long. And get there now before she does."

Ramuh gave a nod in reply. After doing so, he looked up to the sky, and stretched out his arms. Soon the air began to charge, and the sky grew darker around him. As their hair began to stand up and they felt prickles, the other espers stood back from Ramuh. Moments later, however, his eyes flashed, and a bolt of lighting shot down from the middle of the ceiling, lashed down and touched him, and enveloped him in electricity. It lasted only a moment before vanishing. And when it did, it took the lightning esper with it. The room became normal again after that, and everything calmed down. Sighing a bit, the other espers stepped back forward and looked to Leviathan.

"So what now?"

The sea esper turned to Terrato at that. "I'd like you to fill in for them for now, Terrato. We need to get on the move again, and we need an extra set of eyes. We have to find the espers and stop them before they destroy anything or anyone else."

* * *

"Haven't we been here before?" Wyvern disdainfully asked.

"There still might be some clues left behind." Leviathan responded, continuing to scan the ground. He had taken his own esper form on at this point, as had the others. Now, they freely used their Auto-aero ability to scan the ground from far above the canopy. The others did as Leviathan did and tried to find signs of a struggle. Broken tree limbs…a crater…even ice. Anything that would indicate in which direction Shiva had gone. For right now, she was the only one they could try to pinpoint, and frankly Leviathan wanted to do that first. He doubted that Odin was still in the area of Cleyra…and he didn't know whether to be happy or sad about that.

Leviathan struggled to think of how they could proceed. Even when they did find an esper, what would they do? Would they attack it like any other opponent? Espers were durable. It wasn't until they were near death that they ceased to be a threat. And if they did disable one, then what? Would they try to restrain it in some way? Should they try to reason with them rather than fight, or would they be deaf to pleas? Considering the fact that Shiva had so ruthelessly attacked her husband, he doubted that they would listen. Could he try and force the dark consciousness from their minds? He might…but he had no idea where to begin on that. He had to try and examine one first to determine the nature of the attack…

"Maybe we should just take the opportunity to smash Alexandria." Terrato spoke up. "That would put an end to the attacks."

"Perhaps, or perhaps not." Leviathan responded flatly. "The humans know so little about us that I doubt Brahne knew that Ifrit was coming. Yet Shiva attacked him none the less. Besides…the moment we attack Alexandria, they might send Odin after us."

Terrato quieted down at that. That was true. Leviathan knew that Odin was one of the greatest among them. He ruefully admitted to himself that even he couldn't contest him. There was only one among them that he knew was a match for Odin, and he still considered him a loose cannon. Nevertheless, he soon spoke up after hearing that.

"Well, so long as you don't mind killing them…" Wyvern slowly sneered. "I think I could more than handle Odin, Atomos, and Shiva put together."

Leviathan froze at that and winced. But it was too late. Abruptly, Terrato turned to Wyvern in puzzlement. "My lord…how can you be sure that the Queen will go after Atomos next?"

The sea serpent felt himself begin to sweat. He had spilled the beans again. He didn't like it when this happened now. After what the Queen had done…Leviathan wasn't exactly sure whether or not Wyvern had been freed, or if his "ownership" had transferred to Brahne. Even then, he wasn't too confident. Brahne had attempted to seize control of Wyvern and had failed. That meant that the link had weakened. He feared that, given enough time, Wyvern would contest the link and see if he could break it. Perhaps it would be best, assuming that Garnet finally utilized her power, that he see to it that the girl was slipped a Garnet gem as soon as possible…

Yet before Wyvern could answer or anything else could happen, everyone was interrupted as an old voice sounded in their heads.

_My lords, it is Ramuh._

At that, Wyvern and the comment were momentarily forgotten. Instead, the espers turned their heads to the sky and their full attention to the voice. Luckily, Leviathan realized, from this range Ramuh could send mental signals. Perhaps all of the strong ones could, which was good to him. That would save time.

_I have made contact with Garnet, the monkey boy, who calls himself Zidane, and the black mage child, who calls himself Vivi._

Leviathan sighed in response to this, and swallowed.

_Ramuh…please…_please_ tell me she has accepted her responsibilities._

_At long last, my lord, it seems as if she wishes to control espers to undo what her foster mother is doing. She wished for me to become her eidilon. After I tested her, I gave her a Peridot which will allow her to focus herself to my specific energy. It will take her some time to be able to master me, seeing as she lacks a horn that would have sped the process along, but I am now her summon._

The sea esper gave a tremendous sigh of relief. It was about time. He had needed some good news. Ramuh wasn't exactly the strongest of espers…but he was a start. Now, Leviathan had to make sure she quickly accumulated more. The bad part was that it would take her longer to master others, especially stronger ones. Still, this was one hurdle they had overcome. And now…Leviathan realized his chances of bringing up the holy esper had increased significantly.

_Unfortunately, my lord…I did not contact you to bring you good news._

Leviathan's train of thought cut off at that, and his gaze refocused. _What do you mean?_

_I am near Lindbulm right now, and it is under attack by the Queen's armies…and an esper._

The others stiffened at that. Wyvern merely snorted and began to crack his neck. _Is it Odin, Ramuh?_

_Not this time. She is using Atomos instead. He's preparing to attack right now. When he does...he'll inhale half of every building and anyone who's on the streets._

_We're on our way._

With that, Leviathan broke the link and turned to the others in the group. They all readily looked to him in response, having heard that final word from him as well over the mental link.

"We're headed to Lindbulm right now. It is likely that along the way…we'll feel another ripple in the Lifestream. Ignore it and push yourselves as hard as possible."

* * *

_To be continued..._


	4. Brawl

Leviathan was right about the ripple. It wasn't nearly as bad as before. Luckily, Atomos didn't have nearly as much power as Odin despite being terribly destructive. Yet still, it was there, and it only served to drive the espers on harder as they made for Lindbulm.

It had taken a few hours regardless, during which they all grew nervous. What was going to happen when they got there? Were they going to have to fight Atomos? Or would he already be gone? In what state would the city be in? They continued to feel fluctuations in the Lifestream after the initial wave, which meant that the enemy was still attacking it. They had no idea how much damage was being done, however. No one was that precise in reading the Lifestream. Yet as they shot over the mist-covered valleys and the mountain ranges that blocked off each area, they felt mounting anxiety toward what they would find once they got there.

The sun was already up, and the morning had come, when the group of espers passed the area known as the South Gate of Lindbulm. A great wall built in a mountain valley, it effectively kept height limited airships from going through. After all, any higher and they would be outside the range of mist, and couldn't move. Lindbulm had managed to effectively cut access to Alexandria when they wanted by building a huge hatch into the wall, which could be opened or shut at will. It was open now, and Leviathan didn't know for sure whether or not it was in enemy hands. He didn't care, just as he didn't care as they went shooting through that some humans might be staring at them in shock. At any rate, once they had passed, it was a straight shot to Lindbulm.

Even from a distance…they could tell what had happened was not good.

Lindbulm itself was built onto mountains, making it all but inaccessible from the ground. But that had mattered little, it seemed. As they saw the towering city of technology approach, it was already belching a lot of smoke into the sky from multiple points. There were lights all over it, indicating that much of it was still in flames. All of the airships had been grounded…save one. The Red Rose, the personal airship of Queen Brahne, was still encircling the area. Leviathan immediately formulated a scenario. She had come just close enough to unleash Atomos on the kingdom. Once he had destroyed most of it, the navy had to have attacked and used black mages to finish the kingdom off. There were no signs of Atomos, which he knew they would have spotted easily from here. The esper was nearly mountain-sized himself. At that, Leviathan began to think they were too late to do anything, and probably should have turned back…

That was until he saw her.

Leviathan saw a twinkle in his lower vision, and turned down to see the source. Still far away from Lindbulm, yet in the big wide field between the espers and the city, he saw that someone was left. The pale blue esper Shiva was hovering in the middle of the field. As the espers drew closer, he saw that she had her back to the destruction and was looking to them. Immediately, he changed his direction and headed straight for her without a word. The others followed in compliance.

Within a few moments, it was clear that they were approaching Shiva. Her details became clearer. Moments later, they reached her butkept their distance. Leviathan, in the lead, halted about a hundred feet from her and hovered in mid-air. The others immediately fell in behind. They all froze and stared at her.

Shiva's look was angry, yet also unmoving. Most of her body was the same, though still, and hovering in mid-air. The most distinct thing, however, was what happened to her eyes. Normally they were an icy blue. Now…they burned like red flame. She turned that gaze to them and did not shift. She didn't even move.

Leviathan stared back at her silently. In truth…he was actually a little glad it was Shiva. She was the weakest out of the three rogue espers, and her mentality was far less formidable than Odin's. This would be a good experiment for him. By determining how to best to deal with this one, it might help them in their fights with the more powerful ones. Immediately, he began to probe her mind…

"Shiva…can you hear me?" Starlet called out meanwhile. Her voice was smooth and pleasant, very comforting and inviting. She addressed small children like this. "It's me, Starlet."

Shiva did nothing. Her eyes continued to blaze red, and her body did not move. Leviathan soon knew why. He reached her brain, and saw that it had been filled with some sort of cloud of junk that had stymied all movement. It was the equivalent of plugging up every passageway in a tall, fully functional termite colony with thick mud. Shiva couldn't hear Starlet, or likely even recognize her, because she had blocks preventing her from even seeing or hearing that information. It was likely she wasn't even aware of where she was.

Leviathan made his own attempt. _Shiva…can you hear me? Are you able to respond?_

Still nothing. Even a mental signal was blocked. Leviathan scanned it, and saw that his words impacted ineffectually against the mental blocks. The esper wasn't even being allowed to think independently anymore. She was effectively Brahne's puppet. That was odd…merely being allowed to summon her shouldn't have had this effect. Espers had to obey their summoners…but they weren't made their mindless slaves.

"Do you see anything, my lord?" Terrato finally asked.

Leviathan frowned and shook his head. "It's useless. It's like her brain has been filled with mortar. I could try to push it out…but I'm not sure if she would allow me to, or rather who is controlling her would allow me to."

Wyvern merely smiled and cracked his knuckles. "Then I'll just have to…pacify her…"

Leviathan and Starlet both looked uneasily up at that. They knew Wyvern far too well. He wouldn't be merciful on her. He would keep fighting her until she couldn't lift a finger to him. And given that her brain had likely been made immune to pain, that meant it wouldn't be until she was horribly wounded that she would give up…perhaps even dead. They didn't dare let that happen.

"I don't think that will be necessary." Leviathan finally stated. This caused Wyvern to look to him and snort. But after that, Leviathan turned to great serpent. "Your power should be greater than hers, Terrato. Use the Contra-cycle technique I showed you and bind her. Starlet can knock her out and we can take her back to Terratopolis."

The earth esper nodded. "Right." With that, the esper spurred on his own levitation, and he neared Shiva. When he did, the cold red gaze of the ice esper turned and looked to him instead, forgetting the others. She made no other reaction. Terrato continued to close in on her, somewhat unnerved by her gaze, but still holding strong. Already, he was planning his first move. At last, he was only about ten feet away from Shiva. Once there, he came to a stop, and coiled in mid-air. Shiva glared at him with that same look of anger, but did nothing. The two were silent for a moment.

Terrato made the first move. As fast as he could, he struck his head out straight for Shiva. The ice esper quickly twisted her body to one side, letting his head slash past. However, that was his intention. Immediately he performed the Contra-cycle maneuver. His body suddenly became elastic and lengthened, and he snapped back around to wide his coils around Shiva's body. Terrato knew his own power was greater than hers, and normally his speed would be too much for her…

Someone, however, seemed to forget to tell Shiva that, for she suddenly shot up just as the coils were closing, easily darting through them. Terrato gaped and looked up, and was just in time to see Shiva shoot back down and smash her foot into his face. The great viper hissed, and then felt his whole body ripped out of the sky and sent flying to the ground headfirst. He left a long trail of his own scaly body behind him as he did so, flailing about like a kite, and moments later struck the earth. A great eruption of dust resulted as he impacted, and his body slid a few feet afterward. Leviathan stared in a bit of surprise…

_Did Shiva's power…just go past its normal limits?_

Luckily, smashing an earth esper like Terrato into the ground had little effect compared to other espers. To him, it only felt good to rub his face in dirt. Soon, the snake spun around and was back in an upright position. It was good too, for its eyes widened as it saw Shiva shooting toward him, flinging icicle after icicle. The deadly projectiles were sharp as blades, and threatened to cut the snake to ribbons. Quickly, he began to slither backward, dodging the ice as it embedded in front of him where he was moments earlier. His tail narrowly dodged each hit as it came.

At last, Terrato reacted. Rather than keep running, he suddenly leapt up into the air, did a backward somersault, and plunged himself into the ground headfirst. Like an earthworm in mud, he sank in immediately and soon vanished into the ground. Shiva threw a few last ineffectual shards at the hole he left, and then stopped. The charmed esper hovered in mid-air and glared down at the ground a moment, looking to see where Terrato would come up from his hiding place.

She soon got the answer. Right behind her, Terrato suddenly shot out of the ground as if he was loaded in a geyser. His fangs flared, and his body began to enlongate as he danced through the air and made his way toward Shiva. The ice esper kept her body to him for a while, letting him come closer and closer. But then, when he got close to within range, she suddenly braced one of her arms and turned around. As she did, her other arm opened its palm, and a great piece of ice began to be generated within it. It grew quickly as she fed more power into it. By the time she turned to face the attacking Terrato, it was already as large as Wyvern himself. Terrato could only close his mouth and gape before the giant piece of ice smashed into him. Moments later, he was sent flying back to the ground, and this time was crushed between the piece of ice and the dirt itself.

Leviathan and Starlet began to grow uneasy. Shiva was far more vicious…and Leviathan could swear she wasn't capable of these attacks before. As for Terrato, he slowly picked himself up out of the ice, which had cracked on impact. His head rolled a bit from side to side, before he blinked and gasped. Shiva had already dove for him, and proceeded to give him a backhand across the face as she shot at his body. A blow like that Terrato could normally take…and yet it actually violently twisted his head to one side as he did it. Yet the snake wasn't finished. Hissing,he snapped his head back up even quicker and struck for Shiva. Yet the ice esper, now touching down on the ground, nimbly did a backflip to take herself out of range. Terrato whipped his tail at her next, and she simply flipped back again to avoid that. Terrato repositioned himself and tried another strike. Shiva stood her ground this time, and watched as he came. Yet just as he was about to land a blow, she crossed her arms sharply in front of her. Instantly, a piece of ice materialized right in Terrato's open mouth, incasing his teeth in ice and freezing his jaw in that open position. Shocked, the earth esper pulled itself back. Yet Shiva took the moment to dive forward soon after, seize the viper by the hood, and then brought his head down, ice, jaw, and all, onto one of her knees. The blow was far stronger than it should have been, and the ice was forcibly shattered as Terrato's mouth was closed. The sharp shards of it pierced his flesh, and blood flew from his mouth from cuts as well as teeth roots as his head went flying back.

Leviathan felt himself start to sweat. This _definitely_ wasn't right…

Terrato, a bit wobbly now, managed to right himself, and immediately hissed. Moments later, several Terra-jects began to uproot from the ground, each one sailing for Shiva. Yet the ice esper merely followed up and shot for him, nimbly dodging each one. When she reached the earth esper, she punched him across the face multiple times, snapping his head back and forth with each one, before jumping off and backing up. Terrato was left dazzled from that assault, and Shiva took the opportunity to hold up one hand. Immediately, the air condensed and cooled around it, and began to form rays of blue, icy cold light that rippled from it. Then, she bent her hand down and fired. Leviathan recognized this attack at once. It was her Diamond Dust, her own Omniapex. Moments later, monstrous shards encased Terrato in a great ragged block of ice, while internal shards formed in his body to pierce him inside as well.

Yet it only lasted a moment. The ice stayed still and poured off steam for a moment, before it fractured. Moments later, Terrato sprung back out of it and shot into the air. He was panting, bloody, and tired now, but he still came forth. But again, he only had time to gasp for a moment before Shiva shot to him again and swept kick him across the face in mid-air, first one way and then the other. She finished up by driving her other foot forward, thrusting right in the center of Terrato's face and nearly smashing his teeth in. The viper could only cry out in pain before he was again taken out of the air headfirst and smashed into the ground. This time it was harder. As blood flowed from his nostrils, he was dragged across the ground a good fifty feet before stopping.

Now, Terrato couldn't react so well. Most of his body was numbed from cold. He felt internal bleeding as well as external bleeding. His face throbbed, and his jaw could be broken. His eyes were swelling and turning puffy. He weakly looked back up, and saw that Shiva was already on top of him. The ice esper landed in front of him, and glared down with murderous intent. Mercilessly, she raised an arm and generated a great ice crystal around it, turning it into a huge spike. Terrato couldn't move. He was too dazzled. He could only stare dumbly…

* * *

Previously unnoticed by Leviathan and his company, and still unnoticed at this point in the battle, there was another shape flying around Lindbulm. This one was far smaller than an airship. It was a small silver dragon, although its like was not that of the other dragons on the Planet. This one…looked almost to be a unique breed itself. The one on it was a unique breed too, and he looked down with a sickening smile, delighting in the death and misery that he himself had caused. However, he already had his attention drawn away from Lindbulm. He saw something out on the field ahead, and looked up to it with mild interest.

Far in the distance…it appeared other eidilons had come. These ones hadn't been contained in the girl. Perhaps she summoned them? No…for now, she was too weak. These ones had to have come of their own free will. Right now, the weakest of their group was getting the living daylights knocked out of it by Shiva. But he knew full well that she couldn't stand against all of them. Normally, he would let her go for now…but he thought it best to hang onto his eidilons for the time being, at least until he managed to ensure the summoning of the greatest eidilon…

_Hmm…you know, that one over there actually looks like he'd fit the part…_

_Oh well, there'll be time for him later. Better not chance it. I'll know for sure when the cow summons him…_

Still, he gave his sadistic, effeminate smile to this scene.

"Ah…the game's afoot…"

* * *

Shiva raised her spike, and prepared to deliver the killing blow. However…it never came.

Leviathan, realizing that Terrato couldn't beat this "new and improved" Shiva, had decided to intervene. Now, Shiva's red gaze turned around and watched as Leviathan's own Contra-cycle technique entangled her hopelessly in rolls and rolls of coils. Within moments, her entire body was pinned and restrained, and she was unable to make a move.

Well…relatively speaking.

Leviathan, who knew that his Contra-cycle move was more than enough to restrain enemies up to twice as strong as himself through locking joints and muscle fibers, soon found himself struggling to hold Shiva back. She dissipated the ice shard, only to furiously begin to struggle against her bonds. He began to sense her brain at work, acting without signals, a moment later. He knew what she was planning at that. The ice esper was no doubt going to coat her body with ice shards and force Leviathan to let go as she jabbed him. Luckily, though she technically didn't have a mind operational, he shut down the mental processes before she could do it using his own telepathy. Yet still…he found himself furiously struggling to hold her back. There was no doubt in his mind anymore that somehow being controlled increased her power.

"Starlet!" He called up with clenched teeth. "Hurry and knock her out! I can't hold her much-"

Leviathan found himself cut off, however, when a massive armored fist smashed into his face. The impact rattled him, and instantly his coils loosened as he went senseless. His body was flung away, and Shiva immediately slipped out of the coils to avoid being taken with them. While he was still returning to his former length, Leviathan struck the ground and slid away from the battle site. Unfortunately, he was not so immune to being raked against the ground…and he felt pain flash up against his side.

However, he still had enough of his bearings to realize that Shiva hadn't been the one who struck him. He looked up shortly thereafter, and saw that another esper had joined her. He swallowed as he did…for he soon found himself looking right at the hulking body of Odin. The warrior esper had come here in an instant, no doubt using the power of teleportation for summoning. He glared down on Leviathan mercilessly from his skull mask…and Leviathan saw the lights in the sockets burned the same red that they did in Shiva's gaze.

The esper swallowed. He knew for a fact that he couldn't beat Odin before. If his power had increased…then he was as good as dead. Even his Contra-cycle wouldn't hold him. Yet before he could shrink away or plan any sort of attack, a large red form dropped down in front of him, unfurled its wings, and planted itself between Leviathan and Odin, blocking the latter from the former's view.

"Why, hello Odin." Wyvern sneered confidently. "How nice of you to come by."

Odin said nothing. He merely glared back at Wyvern.

"You know…I used to think you were pretty mighty. I was actually jealous of you." Wyvern calmly went on. "But if you allowed yourself to so easily become the tool of humans, then whatever respect you have earned from me you can consider gone. I'm going to enjoy this, Odin. I've been waiting over a thousand years to have the chance to smash your little skull mask in."

Odin was silent at this. Leviathan blinked, still a bit dazzled, and looked up to Wyvern's head. However, as he did so…he spotted something else. There was a tiny object up in the sky, far away and yet circling the field. It was the only thing for miles. Even birds had cleared out. That aroused Leviathan's attention. He zeroed in on this object, and started to stretch out his senses to it. He had only begun to look over it when he reacted in surprise.

_It's the other anomaly!_

That was all he could figure out, unfortunately. At that moment, Wyvern took off for Odin. Once he was clear and out of the way, he saw that Shiva had recovered and was facing him. What more, she was aiming another Diamond Dustright for him. Gasping, Leviathan forgot about her and quickly wriggled backward and out of the way, just in time to avoid freezing cold diamond dust from freezing where he was.

Leviathan frowned as he reared back up into a ready position. There was little doubt in his mind now that this new anomaly hadn't only given the humans the ability to make black mages, but was behind the knowledge of how to transfer Garnet's espers to Brahne's control. He immediately believed that attacking him might be the better course of action. If he was controlling Odin and Shiva, then he was probably laughing his head off right now, enjoying his "puppets" as they danced. Yet he had to focus on Shiva now. Terrato had been banged too senseless. He needed Starlet to fix him. And until then, that meant taking Shiva alone.

Leviathan opened his mouth and fired off three Aqua-jects at his opponent. Shiva coldly rushed through them, freezing each one along the way so that it shattered on touching her. In response, the sea serpent reared up and blared a war cry as they connected, and their battle raged on.

* * *

Wyvern's first blow was terrible. The impact vibrated Odin's entire metal body, ripped him off his feet, and sent him flying. However, not satisfied with this, Wyvern followed after him, smacking him again and again in the face, and sending his body twisting one way and the other as he went on. Once he felt he had done enough, he put both hands together and swung them down, smashing Odin down into the ground. The impact was so hard that he bounced off, and Wyvern proceeded to give him a tail slap as well once he was up, knocking him into the air. Then, moving faster than Odin was, he shot back up into the air, passed him, and followed up with a smack from both claws that sent him flying to the ground at an angle. Odin, still senseless from the blow, could do little but sail toward the earth after Wyvern struck him. Still not finished, Wyvern decided to polish him off by opening his mouth and firing a Megapyron after him. He grinned in delight as his second most powerful attack shot after Odin's falling body, bearing with it a cloud of death and heat. Odin couldn't move. As he struck the ground, the attack struck him, and a series of blasts tore apart both the ground and where he had landed. The ground for miles shook with the power, and huge pillars of dirt were upheaved as each powerful explosion went off.

The dragon esper cackled in delight, looking down at what he had done with glee. However…that glee soon faded. The near mushroom cloud from Wyvern's attack cleared…and revealed that Odin was quite calmly standing right in the center of the destruction. He continued to glare darkly at Wyvern…and looked no worse for wear. Though Odin now possessed a suit of special armor, the armor was still capable of feeding signals of pain and distress to its owner. After all, it was more useful as a body that way. And it could be damaged. However…Wyvern saw nothing. No damage. No pain. Odin looked totally unaffected.

Wyvern's look turned to surprise, but only a moment before he sneered. "Think you're pretty tough, eh Odin? I'll rip that helmet off your head next."

With that, the dragon esper turned and went into a dive. He quickly put more power behind it, and was soon shooting for Odin like a thunderbolt. He reared back a claw and prepared to smash it into Odin's face with all his might. This time, he would make sure to at least dent the faceplate in. Yet Odin didn't react to him. He merely continued to stand there and glare at him. Not that it mattered, Wyvern thought, as he closed the last bit of distance. So much the better…

_Clang!_

Now, Wyvern's look really did turn to surprise. His sneer vanished, and had he still had eyes they would now be bulging. His fist had been _stopped_. Odin had calmly extended a hand at the last moment and intercepted his hand. Now, he held him and only quivered a bit, despite the power that Wyvern possessed. The esper blinked a moment…before Odin violently flipped him over and behind his head, smashing him into the ground and embedding him partway into it.

Wyvern was overwhelmed. Not even Bahamut had ever so easily stopped him and done that to him. However…that only made him madder. He quickly swept out his tail for Odin's legs, and rushed to get back to his feet. But not only did Odin leap over it nimbly, he raised his head off the ground just to have the still airborne Odin swing his leg around and smash him on the side of the face. Wyvern was ripped out of his small crater and flung across the ground again. His body soon skimmed along it like a stone. Still shocked, he lay motionless as he slowly came to a halt…and then gagged as Odin suddenly appeared right over him and leapt down on his body, driving both of his feet into Wyvern's stomach. The esper reared up andblood flew from his mouth.

However…Wyvern was quickly growing more enraged. He flipped himself back up, meaning to extend his neck and bash his own powerful crest into Odin's. The warrior esper responded by leaping back at once, and the blow hit nothing. Yet Wyvern was now free, and used the moment to flip back up to his feet. Now, his muscles began to bulge and tighten. His bloody face sneered as his anger grew. Odin, on his part, coldly stepped back and drew his sword. When he did, he calmly aimed it at Wyvern and waited.

"You cocky bastard!" Wyvern spat, and then rushed at him. As he drew near, he again aimed a fist for Odin's head. However, the esper merely sidestepped it as he shot forward, and Wyvern went sailing by. As he did, Odin swung his blade down…and hot pain soon flashed across Wyvern's side. The great wyrm cried out in pain as he stumbled past, feeling hot blood begin to pour from his right side. He stopped a moment longer, crouched, and put his back to Odin. He grabbed for the wound, and felt his blood wash over his hand. It wasn't deep…but Odin's woundsdidn't heal easily, and he'd continue to bleed for a while. That was the last straw…

Odin moved in to follow up his attack, but even he was soon surprised to see Wyvern's head snap around and fire a Pyron point blank into his face. The eruption took Odin off of his feet, and his body flailed backward through the air. Sneering in anger, and realizing his chance, Wyvern spun around and went after Odin again. This time, he dove forward and drove his fist first into Odin's stomach. The warrior esper collapsed around his hand in response, and then arched back violently as Wyvern gave him an uppercut next. The impact kept him flying through the air. Now, Wyvern reared back to swing his tail around and take Odin viciously back to the ground with a hard impact. But as he swung it around to hit him…Odin suddenly sprang to life. He seized Wyvern's tail as it came, and then used the momentum, to the red esper's surprise, to swing him around and fling him away. Soon, Wyvern was flying away from the battle at incredible speeds, while Odin twisted back around and planted his feet.

Not wasting a second, Odin immediately slammed his palms together as Wyvern continued to fly backward. He drew them apart just as quickly, and a Gunge Lance formed in his hands. He quickly spun it around, reared back, took careful aim at the flying Wyvern, and then flung it straight at him. The red esper was powerless to free himself from his own inertia, and the Gunge Lance was faster than him as well. Soon, the lance hit, and an explosion just as great and terrible as Wyvern's resounded. A huge orb of dirt was blown into the air, followed by a large black mushroom cloud. Odin stood there coldly, unmoving, even when the resulting shockwave from the blast rippled across the field and washed over him. He gazed into the cloud, and patiently waited as the thunderous explosion rippled through the air.

He didn't have to wait long. Moments later, a red streak came blazing out. Many of its scales were burnt and bent now, and blood was oozing from one shoulder where bare flesh was exposed. That arm was all but useless, but the other was balled into a fist, and Wyvern was nearly foaming at the mouth as he shot right back for the warrior esper. His rage had reached its peak, and he was ready for blood. He didn't bother striking him with his fist this time. Instead, he simply drove his head forward and smashed it as hard and deep into Odin's gut as he could.

The warrior was taken off of his feet and carried across the field as what sounded like thunder rippled through the area, a result of Wyvern's impact. Odin was helpless to do anything for a moment but flail around his body. The impact knocked Zantetsuken out of his hand, and the sword fell uselessly to the side. Yet that was only for a moment. Then, the warrior esper glared down on his opponent…and proceeded to make his own two handed fist and bring it down hard on the back of Wyvern's long neck. The esper gagged, and immediately fell to the ground. Odin was released, and the warrior leapt back and touched down himself.

Wyvern gagged, spitting up more blood. He looked up, but was only in time to see Odin kick him in the face, sending him flying backward and then sprawling. The red esper flailed out on the ground a moment, but then, still being fueled by his rage, spun around and went back up. Odin was already on him, but he was more savage. He quickly wheeled around and slapped the warrior along the side of his head using his tail. But remarkably…Odin merely pitched a bit to his side and then righted himself. That was, before he retorted with punching Wyvern in the stomach. The esper gagged and doubled over, giving Odin the proper angle to grab him by his horns and bring his face down on his knee three times. When he was done, and practically flung Wyvern's head back up, a tooth had been knocked out and blood was fountaining from his nostrils. Now, the red esper was too dazzled to fight back so quickly. Odin quickly shot forward, and first jabbed his elbow into the esper's face before following up with a backhand from the same arm. The red esper staggered back, and Odin used the chance to seize him by the arm, put his hand on his back, twist him around, and then drive him face first into the ground as hard as he could.

Wyvern flailed out on impact. But he was still too stunned to fight back. Using that…Odin raised his head up and continued to beat it into the ground, smashing his face again and again into it and bashing a somewhat deeper crater each time…

* * *

Leviathan sneered as he had to avoid yet another Diamond Dustattack. They were making him angry. Yet he couldn't respond to them with his own Omniapex. Water espers, he unfortunately remembered, were little better than fire espers against ones with the power of ice. Using his own Tsunami would be futile against Shiva. That meant he was left with his physical powers, and those weren't much…

As soon as he had dodged the latest move of Shiva,she had reacted. The ice esper was already on him, and was sweep-kicking him across the face. However…strong as Shiva was, and as good as she was doing…Leviathan was the more powerful. The blow stunned him and knocked his head to one side, but not much else. As he did, he stretched out his own snakelike body to seize Shiva by the leg. The ice esper looked down, but was unable to react in time before Leviathan yanked her off of her feet and slammed her into the ground.

Leviathan shook his head and looked back up, only to see that Shiva had risen up quickly as well. Leviathan could have hit her harder…but he didn't want to damage her too badly. He was deliberately holding back on his own offense, and hoped he wasn't being stupid by doing so. At any rate, Shiva generated ice spikes on both arms now, and darted forward to use them. Leviathan quickly had to dart back as she advanced on him, slashing and jabbing at him as she made her way forward. The sea esper dodged this for a while…before seeing an opening. Immediately, he narrowly dodged one spike, and then drove his own spiked bill forward and sliced Shiva across the face. The esper snapped her head back as blue blood flowed from the wound, and Leviathan followed up by giving her a slap with her tail. Again, she went flying from him and struck the ground.

Leviathan dashed for her next, but she was too quick. She quickly flipped back up on her own feet, and proceeded to assault the sea esper with a flurry of deadly ice shards. But Leviathan was fairly keen himself, and rather than avoid them he quickly swished his thin body one way and another to dart through and get to the target. He greeted Shiva with a headbutt. The ice esper staggered back…but only for a moment. Soon, she recovered and darted back for Leviathan, and this time one of her hands had brought out a new ice blade. The sea esper gaped, but quickly darted back to avoid it, and then gave Shiva not one, not two, but three slaps with his tail, smacking her head left and right, before lengthening himself to reach out and lash his coils around her neck. He didn't choke her, but he did take her off the ground by her head and flung her as hard as he could behind her. The power, combined with Leviathan's lengthened body, sent her flying upward through the air in a great arch before bringing her back down and smashing her hard into the dirt.

Leviathan quickly recoiled and went back to his former position. As he did, he turned to face her, and nearly groaned when he saw Shiva pop back up from the ground as quickly as she had fallen. He had definitely given her some bruises and blood now, but she still wasn't letting up. The sea esper groaned. He was pretty sure he would eventually win this, but it could take forever. They were too even in power to finish this quickly. And his worst fears were right. He'd have to put Shiva down violently to make sure she stayed…

"Shiva…" He called out at last. "Or whoever's in there using you…she can't beat me. You might as well give up now. I'll beat her until she can't fight anymore, no matter how long that takes."

"And he won't do it alone."

With that, both Shiva and Leviathan looked up and looked behind the former. Two more espers had joined up. Apparently, Starlet had finished reviving Terrato. Now, both of them stood on one side of the field and faced off against the ice esper. Their own looks were dark, and they were more than ready for battle. Leviathan sighed a bit in relief. This would make things easier.

"Shiva…please give up!"

The four espers turned at this newest voice. This wasn't one of the espers that was already there. However, Leviathan recognized it almost immediately. As he turned, he was just in time to see a new esper fly onto the field and dive for the ground. Ifrit touched down a moment later, still lacking his claw and nails, but otherwise regenerated. He glared at Shiva the whole time. For once, the esper wasn't reacting to something with anger. Instead, his look pleaded with Shiva, though the woman glared back defiantly at him, cold and heartless.

"I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to!" Ifrit blared back at the ice esper. He slowly began to ball his hands into fists as he said so. He swallowed, and, for once, was not livid with rage. His canine face was turned down into a worried look, and his burning eyes became calmer and more innocent. If the esper own body heat didn't vaporize them the moment they formed, Leviathan was almost sure he would see tears. His fists slowly began to burst into flames. "Don't make me do it!"

"Ifrit! You should be resting!" Starlet called out in warning. She, like the others, was surprised to see that he had actually come. But she held the most fear for the safety of all espers. "You'll get yourself hurt! Leave this to us!"

"No!" Ifrit yelled back, not turning from Shiva. "If something's controlling her…_I_ should be the one to beat it out of her! I want to be the one to set her free!"

Leviathan heard this, and in the end didn't argue. Alone, Ifrit didn't stand a chance. But with the rest of them along, his fire powers could be used to their full extent, and they could put Shiva down faster than ever. Besides…if this was Starlet, he would say and do the same thing. He wheeled back around and glared at Shiva. "It's over." He called out to whoever was there controlling her. "She can't beat us all. You might as well just give her up or surrender."

Shiva turned back to Leviathan, but also continued to look around the group. She was surrounded on three sides now. Leviathan took one, Ifrit took another, and Terrato and Starlet made up the last. All were priming themselves for battle…and it was true that she had no way of beating all four of them. Yet whoever was in control merely let her stand there a moment, and considered his options…

* * *

"Unevolved fools." The anomaly snorted.

It was insulting for the lower life forms to think they actually had him beaten. They were quickly growing annoying. All he had to do was bring Atomos along, and the tide would be more than turned in his favor. He believed that Odin might be able to do it alone by himself. After all, he had already taken down the strongest among them. He could take down these other weaklings as well. Atomos would merely ensure a quick and easy win. Perhaps it was best to simply destroy the eidilons that didn't conform to his plans…

_"Kuja! What is going on out there?"_

At that, the anomaly sighed. He rolled his eyes in response, and turned his head over to the side of his silver dragon mount. He tried to remember why he had been stupid enough to give the fatass some blades of Whisper Grass. Now he had to listen to her obnoxious voice constantly. He had been in the middle of preparing to slaughter these eidilons, and…

_"What are you doing out there with my eidilons?"_

This really did make the man, Kuja, snort. "Her" eidilons? What a fool. By now, she was probably already calling them "her" black mages as well. The worthless sack of lard didn't realize she was every bit his tool as they were. The woman was fast getting rid of anyone who no longer proved useful to her. That included that Paladin knight and the old man in the rusted armor, not to mention his two little imps he had worked so hard to provide her with. He was logically next in line. After all, he was the one who gave her this power. Why not eliminate him so he couldn't give it to anyone else? Perhaps he should send Atomos to inhale her little Red Rose instead…assuming that he didn't want to take the time to do it himself…

But then, he hesitated. No, that wouldn't be best. He still wanted the ultimate eidilon…and he wouldn't get it for certain until the queen used it against him. Even Odin was nothing compared to him. Because of that, the woman had to live until he had finished getting all he could out of her. Once he did…he would gladly make sure that her city was the first to die at his hand. After all…she had already destroyed every other good target. Her own kingdom would be enough to make sure that there was an adequate tremor in Gaia's Lifestream…

For now, she could keep these meaningless three eidilons she had gathered so far. Taking them now as his own property would only cause her to be more cautious before risking summoning the ultimate one. So long as she thought these three were securely in her pocket, and her pocket alone, nothing would stop her from summoning him when the proper time came. For now…it was best to lead her to the proper place for the next act of this grand play…

Kuja gave a light tug on his reins, and the silver dragon banked and began to make its way away from Lindbulm and the Red Rose…toward the ocean…

…and the Iifa Tree.

* * *

At once, Shiva suddenly vanished. Right before any of them could launch an attack or follow up on their ultimatum, she disappeared into thin air. The other espers gaped in surprise, and immediately relaxed. But Leviathan merely frowned. He knew what had caused it. He was afraid of this. Whoever had command of her didn't want to risk losing their esper just yet. He or she had summoned her back once they had found out that she couldn't win against this many other espers. That meant that Shiva was still in someone's pocket…and they had fought hard for nothing. It made him scowl just to think of it. Angrily, he cursed under his breath, and then chanted the spell to return to his human form.

The other espers looked around in confusion a moment themselves. Ifrit himself sneered. Furiously, he crouched to the ground and angrily punched it. He was the most upset by far. The others stood by a little, and then began to walk forward to Leviathan.

"What happened to her?" Terrato asked.

"Summoned away, obviously." Leviathan grimly replied. "Damn…just as we looked to win…"

Terrato grimaced himself and looked around. However…he soon stopped when his eyes rested on the area behind him. "Oh! Lord Bahamut!"

Leviathan whirled to the source himself, as did Starlet. Ifrit continued to sneer and punch the ground for the time being. As they looked, they saw that Odin had to have been summoned away too. But his aftermath remained. The sea esper restrained a gasp at what had happened. Wyvern was only slowly picking up his bloody, cracked body from the ground. He hissed and moaned as he did so, pulling his head out of a pile of dirt, caked around his skull with the blood flowing from it. He looked horrible. Leviathan was honestly overwhelmed. He had assumed shortly into his fight with Shiva that Odin naturally had his strength increased as well. But from the looks of it…it seemed to be enough to put him beyond Wyvern. That was a frightening thought…

Wyvern slowly staggered to his feet. His jaw was clenched when he did so. Had he eyes, he probably would have glared angrily out with them. Leviathan could sure feel the anger pouring off of his body. He was swelling with hate. It was taking all of his focus to stand there and not lash out in fury. He held a hand to his burnt, bleeding shoulder and seethed as his own blood dripped from his nostrils. The others drew forward, but then stopped. Terrato swallowed, and backed up a little. He didn't want to be around his master when he was this angry. The others were silent. They let Wyvern seethe and fume for a moment.

Then, licking her lips, Starlet stepped forward, beginning to hold out her hands. "Here, let-"

On seeing that, Wyvern viciously snapped his body back. "Don't you dare touch me, you bitch!" He angrily snapped at her. "Don't either of you touch me! You damned hypocrites! And don't give me that sad, pathetic look as if you actually give a damn about me! You know full well you wanted him to kill me! You wished he would have succeeded! That would have made it so much easier on you two, wouldn't it have? Huh? Just let Odin finish off the black sheep, eh?"

Terrato was taken aback at Wyvern's sudden and vicious words. However…hearing this reminded him of what had been said earlier as well. Again, his confusion was renewed, and he looked from Leviathan to Wyvern and back again. The king esper swallowed himself, and started to speak up again. "W…Lord Bahamut…"

"I don't need you!" He angrily snapped at Starlet. "I don't need your help or your sickening pity!" He wheeled viciously to Leviathan next. "I don't need you!" Finally, he looked to Terrato, who was taken aback in surprise. "And I don't need you! I don't need anyone! Leave me alone!"

With that, Wyvern unfurled his wings in a snap and took off. Before Leviathan could protest, or Starlet or Terrato could recover enough to say anything, he was already gone. He tore into the sky at blinding speeds, and immediately became as small as a dot before turning and shooting forward to vanish on the horizon. Leviathan slowly sighed in response. Within instants, he was gone, and they were alone once again. The sea esper also found out that their mysterious anomaly had taken the opportunity to flee as well, leaving them without their only lead and likely culprit. They stood there silently for a moment, looking into the sky and saying nothing.

Finally, however, Starlet turned her head back down with a grimace. "What now?"

"We return to Terratopolis." Leviathan flatly answered. "And gather as many espers as we can."

* * *

_To be continued..._


	5. Carbuncle

It took almost another day before they were ready. Flying back to Terratopolis had still been quite an ordeal. Once they got there, they quickly had to dispense messengers to pull as many espers back that they could. Some were solitary and loners, but they had to try. So long as these three dangerous espers were wandering around, no one was safe. Thankfully, it seemed as if all resistance on the Mist Continent had already ground to a halt. After having one city obliterated and another turned to rubble, there wasn't anyone willing to stand against the power of Alexandria. That meant that, for now, the Queen had no target with which to vent her new-found wrath.

Many espers had already gathered. Luckily, few people knew about the recent insurrection, so no one had actively sought out the rogue espers and thereby prompted a fight. For now, Leviathan found himself keeping things quiet again. He didn't want to generate any more of a panic. Some of the younger espers didn't think that it was even possible for humans to control their kind. Learning would cause more fear. And fear would eventually lead to anger against the humans, and might spawn a violent response. The truth of the matter was the human race had already suffered plenty without their help in the wake of Brahne's attacks.

Leviathan was perched at one of the windows around the central area of Terratopolis, giving him a good view of the courtyard below. Espers were wandering around there in a large crowd. A few were assigned to organize them and make sure they had room to stay in the mountain. However, as more of them showed up, their confusion was beginning to grow. Here, they were cramped, and that made anyone irritable. They were shouting out questions and puzzlements to one another, trying to figure out why they were there. Soon Leviathan would indeed have to give them a response. But he hoped he could separate them into groups first.

The sea esper abruptly heard footsteps behind him. Perking up, he turned around to see who had come. Ramuh was framing his doorway. Once Leviathan saw him, he walked closer to the sea esper.

"How is it coming?" The regent immediately asked.

"We've gathered about thirty powerful psychics so far." Ramuh explained. "Only twenty are exceptional. I wasn't exactly sure what your requirements were, or if you wanted us to take time to search for quality."

Leviathan frowned, but then shrugged. "Well, telekinesis is an ability we have to have. The greatest users of that power will be important. Make sure we get all of the good ones that we can. If we have room, go ahead and throw in a few more."

"Very well." Ramuh returned. He hesitated for a moment after that, and then bowed his head ruefully and sighed as well. "You know, sir, that I can't stay here. You will have to do this operation you are planning without me. I must make sure I am available to Garnet."

The sea esper paused after hearing that. He frowned again in response. However, he knew it was the truth. He and Starlet had to do the same thing when Rydia became their summons. And Ifrit and Shiva, popular summons among even child summoners, barely had time for anything else when one went on a dangerous trip. Still, he wasn't happy about it.

"…I don't suppose she made any attempt to use you against Atomos, did she?"

Ramuh frowned as well at that. "She didn't…and I would have thought her a fool if she did. With all due respect, my lord, what exactly was I supposed to do against Atomos?"

Leviathan recanted at that. He had a point. "…My apologies, Ramuh. I'm just…"

Ramuh lost his own frown, exhaled a bit, and then nodded, cutting him off. "I know, I know. You were just wanting to make sure that summoner was working on this. Don't worry, she is. She is actively searching for gems now."

Thinking of that, Leviathan was reminded of something else. He quickly straightened up and looked more attentive. "Yes, about that… Did she find the gems we left for her? Maybe if she could remaster her ability to summon Shiva and Atomos, that would be enough to snap them-"

But the old esper cut him off with a sad shaking of the head. His look became twice as regretful now, as if he had failed. "No…no, I'm afraid it's not possible. The only place we could plant the gems for her to find was in Treno, in the study of a doctor friend of hers. Unfortunately, for once, she didn't go back to familiar faces. Instead, she's gone on along with the rest of the group north, through the old Fossil Roo passage."

This only made Leviathan more confused. "Fossil Roo? What are they doing in there?"

The lightning esper sighed tiredly at this. "My lord…you should talk with Palidor if you want to know more. I have been busy running your errands and I've gotten most of this information second hand. And now, if I want to gather your requested espers before Garnet decides to teleport me into another battle, I need to get moving right now."

The sea esper paused at that sudden retort. He hesitated for a moment, but then realized he was suddenly asking a lot from Ramuh. Frankly, he was an esper so much like him that he trusted him above others. The only other one he trusted more was Gilgamesh… Poor kid. He could have used his help right now. But there was nothing for it. At last, he sighed again and gave a nod to Ramuh. The lightning esper immediately turned and began to walk out.

Leviathan was moments from turning back to seeing the escalating chaos outside, when he stopped. No sooner had Ramuh pushed his way through the doorway than he revealed someone else. There was another waiting to enter, staring silently at him and with an expressionless yet hard face.

_Terrato._

The sea esper found himself swallowing. Nevertheless, he showed nothing as the esper made his way in. He seemed fairly calm, but it became obvious almost immediately that something was on his mind as he slithered in front of Leviathan. The regent inhaled deeply, looking down on him. For a moment, the two were silent.

"…Is it ready?" Leviathan asked at last, after a moment.

Terrato paused, but then gave a short nod. "Yes, my lord." He answered in a voice…too quietly. "We never did accurately replicate airship technology, as we never needed it before. But I think we can get the wreck working again on steam power."

The older nodded. "Good work. How is Ifrit?"

"Still beating himself up over losing Shiva."

"I see."

Terrato paused for a moment after that. The two stared at each other in silence.

"…Has Lord Bahamut returned yet?"

Leviathan hesitated. "…Not yet."

Another pause between the two. Terrato stared long and hard at Leviathan, unblinking and unmoving. In the end, he licked his thin tongue over his scaled lips.

"Sir…may I speak frankly?"

The sea esper felt a ripple of anxiety at this. This was what he was afraid of. It looked like the day may have finally come. "…Yes."

"I'm with you sir. I trust you. I've trusted you for years. We all have." Pause. "…But I have not been alive for so long by not being wise, sir. I'm not a fool. I know that something is up. I knew ever since Lord Bahamut came back that something was wrong. Then he started following you around as if _he_ was the subordinate. Then there was that outburst on the battlefield. What is going on between you and him?"

Leviathan swallowed in response to that. He hesitated and slowly inhaled and exhaled. In the end, however, he looked to Terrato hard.

"You say you're with me. Do you swear it?"

"I do." Terrato readily replied.

"You said you trust me. Do you?"

"More than anyone else I know."

"Then do this. Go back to the stone monolith with the others. Complete it as best you can."

Terrato exhaled sharply at that. "My lord…"

"You said you trusted me, Terrato." Leviathan cut off. "If you do, you won't ask me this right now. Now is not the time. What is important is that the stone monolith is completed on schedule. Your fate, mine, and perhaps that of everyone on this world depends upon it."

"Lord Leviathan…"

"Are you going to trust me, or aren't you?" Leviathan suddenly challenged, raising his volume a bit.

Terrato stared back for a moment. He shut his mouth, but his eyes blazed as he stared at him. "…I can't keep quiet about this." He finally stated. "I can't do this on blind faith when I know that you're hiding something from us."

"Once the body is completed, I swear I'll tell you and everyone else everything." Leviathan assured, though in a desperate voice. "But not now. I can't tell you now. And if I did, trust me and know that it would only confound matters here. You know me, Terrato. You know I don't keep secrets unless I know that doing so is the best decision. It would be very bad for all of us if I came clean now. But you have to get the body finished first. I can only come clean then. Please believe me when I tell you my hands are tied."

Terrato stared back for a moment. There was obviously some doubt in his heart about this, and dis-ease about trusting it. However, that didn't last. The truth was he did trust Leviathan. And he was with him. Seeing the aggressive new Bahamut only made him more closely linked to him. In the end, he sighed in response and folded.

"…We need another two years to make sure all the micro-parts are installed."

"You have a week." Leviathan retorted.

Terrato's eyes expanded a bit as his jaw loosened. "A week? We can't get it fully functional in a week."

"If we don't get it ready to run in a week," Leviathan darkly responded, growing more serious. "We may never get it running at all. Already, I'm thinking that a week is too long. Do the best you can. Bring more help if you need it. Just get it functional in that time. I'm counting on you, Terrato."

The earth esper still hesitated. He looked anxious now. A week wasn't nearly long enough, and Leviathan knew it. The stone monolith had been so close to completion after hundreds of years…but it appeared that almost was still not good enough. He could only pray that somehow Terrato and the others could get it moving. That…and that nothing happened to damage it until this was over. In the end, Terrato drew in a deep breath, and then gave a tired nod.

"…We'll try our best."

Leviathan narrowed his eye at him at that. "Terrato…what did I tell you years ago about using that phrase?"

Terrato frowned a bit, but then sighed and nodded again. "Alright, my lord…we'll _do it_ in a week."

"I'm sorry I can't give you more, Terrato. Thank you."

The earth esper merely continued to look downcast and tired. But in the end, he slowly turned away and began to slither back out the way he came. Leviathan was left alone on the balcony again. He followed the earth esper with his eyes as he left. Once he was gone, he began to look tired as well. Sighing, he turned back to the rail and looked out over the crowd below. The responsibility for their lives and well being, as that of the rest of the world, began to weigh heavily on him. He prayed that he would see some success soon…before more people began to suspect the truth.

Before despair really did settle in on all of them…

* * *

A bit later, Leviathan had retreated to one of the meeting rooms. He was alone for now, and outside the espers were still being organized and settled in. However, after talking with Ramuh, he wanted to get in touch with one particular esper. He was alone for now, because it was too much of a hassle to try and organize the others in this mess. Yet he did bring one esper around to talk with him…

Palidor was stretched over one side of the particular feature of this meeting room, a map of the existing world. It was a very special map. Every so often, due to the powerful forces constantly impacting the world, the continents would shift and reform. Luckily, this map was crafted from thousands upon thousands of magical sensors scattered all over the surface of Gaia. They constantly monitored the position of the continents and islands and relayed the messages back to this map, providing a constant look at what was going on. Leviathan was on the other side of it, as Palidor gestured over it.

"We were broken off in the middle of our scouting, but here is what we managed to gather." She began. "Garnet's group reached Lindbulm right after Atomos and the black mages destroyed it. Since then, Lindbulm has made a treaty of surrender to Alexandria to stay their wrath. After that, Garnet's group went through Fossil Roo, the ancient undersea passageway to the Outer Continent. By tomorrow for certain they will be here."

"Do we have any idea why they are here?" Leviathan asked.

Palidor stared darkly back. "I think…it might have to do with that other individual we scanned. There's been a lot of talk around Alexandria and in the higher levels of Lindbulm about a person named Kuja. He is a very powerful wizard. Apparently, he was the one who devised the way to make the black mages for Alexandria. I think that makes it a clear bet that the evil presence Terrato detected was the same person."

Leviathan hesitated a moment. He thought back to object that was watching their fight. Though he still had no proof linking them, he immediately believed that the anomaly had to be the one. Who else could think of such devices? Or control espers? Anyone else who wasn't one of the Queen's lackies would have fled in terror. That was enough for him. At last, he spoke up again.

"What about Alexandria?"

Palidor frowned. "Well, that's why I figured they were going after Kuja. The whole navy is reassembling, with every black mage they can muster. They're going to sail north as well to the Outer Continent. From what I gather, the Queen isn't about to let Kuja share the knowledge behind her military with anyone else. If she can kill him, then she'll stand unchallenged as the ruler of Gaia."

"Alright…and what of the rogue espers?"

"There is no sign of Odin or Atomos." Palidor answered. "However, we spotted Shiva. She went right back to the forest near Alexandria. But instead of attacking…she's just circling around it, keeping out of sight and watching."

Leviathan considered this. By now, the Queen had a good grasp of the powers of Atomos and Odin. They were capable of turning cities to rubble. Perhaps she had only spared Lindbulm because she thought it would help increase her wealth. However, Shiva not only was weaker than the other two, but she had an exploitable weakness in the form of fire. An army could conceivably drive her off. So she was doing the next best thing, using her as a sentry to target and eliminate any intruders. That was good. If she could stay in place for a few hours, then perhaps he could carry out his plan after all. He figured he had better be quick though. There was no telling when the Queen would depart. And when she did, Shiva could go with them. It would take a lot of power and coordination on everyone's part for this to succeed.

In the end, the regent nodded. "Alright. Good work." A pause, and then a sigh. "I hate to ask you this, Palidor…but could you return and resume your scouting work? You can take a group, if that would be better."

The bird esper hesitated at this, and looked a bit uncertain.

"They aren't actively hunting us." Leviathan reassured, sensing her fears. "So long as you stay away from them, if they appear, then they should ignore you. But I really need some eyes and ears on Alexandria at least. I need you to find out everything you can about this Kuja character. And I'd like someone to monitor every move that the Queen's fleet makes."

Palidor exhaled a bit, and still looked uneasy. However, in the end, she assented. She gave a nod in response. "I'll alert the chocobos. I'd really like the moogles as well, but I understand that Mog is still guarding Eiko. Fenrir is also good at hiding and sneaking around unseen…but I understand that she is keeping herself available for Eiko's summoning. I'll do the best that I can."

Leviathan nodded. "Thanks a lot, Palidor. I know I'm demanding a lot of everyone, but we have no choice if we want to save our friends."

The bird esper hesitated a bit, but then shrugged. "Don't mention it."

* * *

Leviathan had his doubts about this, despite the fact that this esper had been a reputable summon in the past. However, Fenrir was unavailable...and this one was the next best at what he needed.

"Now…you're sure you can teleport this?"

"Are you kidding?" A tiny, almost humorous tone squeaked in reply. "You're talking to Carbuncle! Energy fields, barriers, mass wave transductions… You got an aquarium you want a semi-permeable case on? A ton of dirt you need dumped in 2.4 seconds? A mouse you need guarded from an army of starving cats? I'm your esper!"

The regent still stifled a frown. He was walking into one of the side chambers he had been preparing along with Carbuncle at the moment. However…perhaps "walking with" wasn't a term being used literally enough. The long-eared, black-eyed, jewel crowned esper was barely the size of Leviathan's human foot. As such, the esper was actually perched on his shoulder and seeming quite comfortable as he led him on to and through the door into his specially prepared chamber. After turning back for a moment to cast a glance back to the hall, he shut the door behind the both of them, sealing them in the chamber.

As soon as they entered, Carbuncle's eyes expanded a bit, and he swallowed.

"Er…"

It had been a day since Leviathan had first overlooked the migration into Terratopolis. Since then, he had been working hard on enacting his plan. It would require mass use of magical technology, as well as the abilities of many of their psychic espers. Yet despite the amount of effort they were putting into this, it was still going to be mostly a test run. And for that matter, he was doing this on Shiva first.

Leviathan had this chamber specially prepared. The walls were reinforced with fire elements, making it impossible for Shiva to break out once inside. Telekinetic espers formed one group, surrounding a large drawn symbol on the ground. Also surrounding it were various crystals, each one peaking up in a rod or pillar format. They shimmered as if some power was activated within them. Leviathan had prepared and set these up himself. He knew they matched an identical pattern of crystals north of Alexandria harbor. The two sets formed a sort of field between each other, making a connection of energy between the two points. Alone, it wasn't enough for Leviathan's plans, but hopefully Carbuncle would make the difference. There was a place for him in the room too. A raised platform with mats for various espers was opposite the crystals. Here, arranged in a circle, were some twenty psychic espers, each one looking ready and alert and keeping their eyes on Leviathan. But what had no doubt shocked Carbuncle the most had to be what was in the midst of the crystal rods.

A massive ship had been constructed within the room. But not just any ship…a Lindbulm airship. Many had been smashed in Atomos' attack. But the espers had recovered one and brought its remains here. It had been reassembled and ran on steam power now. In fact, the airship was already humming loudly as its engine chugged. Its propellers sputtered as they rotated, and it slowly hovered up and down above the center of the symbol. It was covered with the signs and insignias of Lindbulm. It also had been equipped with the largest cannons the city possessed, all of them armed and ready to fire.

Carbuncle blinked and continued to stammer as Leviathan walked up to the symbol on the floor. The other espers watched him and calmly waited for the word. At last, the regent came to a halt in front of the machine. Carbuncle blinked. He looked up, and saw the huge craft hover up and down, its massive shadow and hull dwarfing his pathetic body. After a moment, he turned back to Leviathan. He swallowed slightly…

"Um…I don't know about this."

"You said you could teleport anything."

Carbuncle guffawed. "Yeah…but this isn't an anything. This is an extremely large _something_. I don't even know if I can get this out of here, let alone pull it and another one back."

Leviathan frowned at this. And after he had been so cocky earlier… There was one particular power that was somewhat rare among espers. That was the ability to teleport. Few were capable of pulling it off under their own power. Even fewer had the ability to extend the power over others. Usually, however, it only worked by keying in on the spiritual tag that was on all living things, and even then only over a few individuals. Yet now Leviathan needed it done for something much larger, and for that same thing to be brought back with cargo.

"That's why I've set up these rods." Leviathan answered. "It should enable you to teleport this thing to the desired location and teleport it back. It will concentrate your power on that specific area."

Carbuncle frowned in response, and scratched his head. "I dunno…"

"You better know." Leviathan sharply retorted, causing the tiny esper to wince a bit. "Because I only proceeded with this plan because you claimed you could do it."

Carbuncle moped in response to this, but also swallowed hard after getting Leviathan's tongue-lashing. Then, before he could do anything else, he yelped as Leviathan turned him over and dumped him on the ground. The creature was cat-like enough to land on his feet, but he still gave a cry as he landed. On doing so, he turned back to Leviathan and bristled his long ears at him, hissing and spitting at him having done that. Yet the regent responded with an icy glare of his own…instantly shutting the smaller esper up and having him cower into obedience. He nervously turned away from the sea esper and turned his full attention to the monstrous object before him.

When he did, Leviathan turned his attention away and looked up to the bridge of the airship instead. He couldn't see that well, but he already knew that another was at the helm. He wasn't the best pilot among the espers…but luckily these airships didn't require that much effort to successfully maneuver. All he had to do was rush to Alexandria and rush back. That said…he was a bit nervous about having him at the helm. Yet he knew at least that with him doing it he would be sure that at least one member of this squad would try their best to do their part. And so, he called out to the cockpit.

"Are you ready in there, Ifrit? We're going to start soon."

Moments later, the window popped open, and a great horned canine head poked out. "Then let's go already!" He roared back. "I've been waiting for half a day now!"

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I've never been so sure of anything before in my life! Do it!"

Leviathan frowned. He inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled. He didn't like how reckless Ifrit was sounding. He knew his emotions would get the better of him now. However, hopefully that wouldn't be a factor. And there was no more time for delays. He had tried to rush to prepare all of this, and now he had to see if it really worked. Speed was of the essence. At last, he turned down and looked back to Carbuncle. The tiny esper was in front of the ship now, and was stabilizing himself. However, at the pause, he turned and looked behind to the regent. Leviathan gave him a nod.

"Do it."

Carbuncle swallowed again. The other espers in the chamber went silent and watched him. He steadied himself a bit more, but then turned and looked back to the airship. That done, he sighed again, and then flipped both of his tiny green paws up. He swung both in a circle, and then pressed them together in a praying format. That done, he closed his eyes and began to focus. Leviathan lookedup in expectation.

Carbuncle continued to slowly turn his arms around. As he did, the gem on his head began to softly glow deep within it. The crystal surface refocused the glow as it did, and rays began to be projected on the massive airship. However, as Carbuncle chanted quietly to himself, the glow slowly began to rise, like a flickering flame that grew stronger as it slowly burned up fuel. No one said a word, but stared in anxious anticipation. As the gem grew brighter, the rays consequentially grew stronger. Their intensity increased while their path began to widen. It slowly traced its way over the surface of the craft and made its way to the edges. It filled out the main hull, the engine, the cabin, and even the propellers. Still Carbuncle continued to chant and rotate his arms, making it glow stronger and more intensely. The airship began to turn red underneath his ruby light.

All of the sudden, a whine began to sound. The source was not clear, but it quickly began to grow stronger. It started off like an object striking crystal, but it only grew more intense with time. As it did, Carbuncle's laser seemed to affect the craft. The ruby light that was first just projected on it seemed to penetrate it. It now dipped into the ship and made other parts not in direct contact glow. It continued to spread from there, like a piece of metal in a blacksmith's furnace turns red at the closest point, and gradually turns redder as it moves on down to the extremities. Carbuncle continued to focus until after a few minutes the entire ship was lit up and bright red. Once there, it held a moment. The tiny esper swallowed, hesitated, but then increased his focus.

As Carbuncle started to sweat and the ringing sound turned uncomfortable, other tones of the same type of whine began. These came from the crystal pillars. Each one lit up as well and began to shine. Their rays, however, were formed as straight lights. They projected onto the ceiling of the cave, and as they continued to grow in intensity they pierced the roof and went into the night. Similarly, thousands of miles away, the crystals of the target zone began to light as well. Carbuncle continued to strain, but as he did the crystals grew brighter. The multitude of sounds became stronger and stronger, becoming a chorus of ringing noise. The pillar shone so bright that they looked like a white cage surrounding the craft.

Then, at last, Carbuncle inhaled deeply and did a quick gesture with his hands. Immediately, a great burning sound resulted from the crystals and crafts. It gradually gave way to some sort of a ripping noise…although it was not like any physical thing ripping. It sounded as if the air, perhaps even time itself, was ripping. Leviathan recognized this as he stared on at the glistening objects. Warping tore a hole in the very fabric of the universe, creating a zero-distance portal to the desired location. The ripping sound grew louder, and the lights shone so strongly that they became blinding. All looked away as a great flash bathed the chamber in its glow…

Then, the ripping suddenly quieted down and shrank into nothing, all within a moment. At the same time, the lights dimmed, and the crystals returned to their original color. Carbuncle flopped his arms down, bowed his tiny head, and gasped in exhaustion. Even with help, that had taken a lot of effort. But as the others looked back, they saw that there had been success. Where the airship had been before, only a great open space in the center of the portal remained.

Leviathan and the others paused for a moment. The sea esper looked up with wide-eyes at what had happened, and though his expression was focused it was also betraying neither negative nor positive emotions. He hesitated a bit longer, but then turned away. Quickly, he marched to the other group of espers surrounding the blank space. As he did, he reached into the folds of his royal robe for a moment, and seconds later pulled out an interesting item: Whisper Grass. It was a very rare plant indeed. Even the espers had never mastered how fully to cultivate it. It took centuries to grow. But to the one who could sustain it and use it properly, it provided a wonderful function. When blades were freshly plucked that came from the same root, some blades could be given to one person and some to another. After doing so, for one hour (how long it took the plucked blades to die), whatever one said to one blade would be repeated by another. Leviathan had been saving it for just this moment. It was rare, unfortunately, and he could only use it for a very good purpose. That was why he couldn't give some to Palidor.

Leviathan held the blades to his mouth. He had never tried this over so long a distance. He hoped it would work. Even over short distances, it could be unreliable. A shriveled blade squeaked the voice, and one that had been munched on by an insect made the message break up. Still, he tried it.

"Ifrit, can you hear me?"

Leviathan paused for a moment after that. The rest of the room went silent and looked to him, seeing what the result would be. For a fateful moment, the sea esper feared the worst. But then, somewhat garbled and a bit distorted, yet with a clear message, a rough voice responded.

_"Pst Yes…y lord…Pst…just outside…Alexandria…Pst"_

Leviathan managed a smile at that. So did the other espers in the room. After hearing this, Leviathan raised the grass to his mouth again and spoke. "We'll be proceeding immediately with Phase II, then."

_"Sounds…Pst…ood to me, my lo…Pst"_

Leviathan lowered the grass and put it back into his robe. As he did, he immediately turned and began to motion to the rest of the room. "Alright, all of you. You heard that. We'll be proceeding immediately. Team A, prepare to use the full measure of your telekinesis against Shiva the moment she forms. Don't let her so much as blink. Team B, channel all of your power to me the moment that she is restrained. I'll take it from there. Carbuncle…I'm counting on you. Do whatever you need to teleport her and the airship back here."

Carbuncle nodded, and then inhaled deeply. He slowly turned back to the position, and already began to focus his power again. However, that was all that Leviathan watched. He had his own task to attend to. Immediately, he turned and walked to the central platform area. Once in the midst of the rest of the "Team B" espers, he turned and faced the open space. He slowly sat, crossing his legs as he did so, until he was in the proper meditation position. As he did, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the whisper grass, and then set it in front of him. It had been fifteen minutes since it had been plucked. There should still be plenty of time left, though. He waited patiently for word of what would happen. They all did, as Carbuncle's gem began to glow again.

For a good ten minutes, the espers sat there and waited anxiously. Leviathan propped his arms up on his knees by the elbows, folded his hands in front of his face, and stared coldly ahead. He tried to clear his mind so that he could make a good channel, but most of his anxiety was on what would come next. Carbuncle's jewel gleamed, and he projected a light onto the area around the crystals again. But there he held, and focused his power to that small extent. Leviathan tightened his hands and released them again and again, waiting for the news to come. No one said a word in that time. Finally, the stillness of the room was broken as a sound came from the whisper grass.

_"I see…Pst…va! I…Pst…Shiva! I'm moving! Pst"_

Hearing that, the esper looked up. The other espers in the chamber tightened. This was it. Now…the mouse needed only take the bait. Then they could move on with their trap. A few fateful seconds went by as Leviathan glared at the whisper grass, like his eyes could increase its transmitting ability or could speed up the response. Then…it came.

_"Pst…following me! She's com…Pst She's coming!"_

Leviathan tensed up fully at that. Immediately, he looked around the chamber to the waiting espers. One nod was all that they needed. They immediately bowed their heads and fully concentrated their powers. Leviathan then turned back to Carbuncle. The esper was still focusing his ruby light, but swallowed at that latest transmission.

"Carbuncle…the moment you hear Ifrit's next transmission…you must teleport what is at the other crystal diodes right here."

Carbuncle swallowed, but didn't complain. Slowly, he began to focus again and spread out his light, tensing himself up for the moment of transfer. As for Leviathan, he struggled to smooth himself out. He closed his eyes, and began to reach out his senses. He cleared his mind of anxiety and fear as best he could. There was still room for much to go wrong. Shiva wasn't a city leveler, but she could easily destroy a Lindbulm airship. If Ifrit couldn't stay ahead…if they didn't catch her in this trap…then it would all be for nothing… He prayed desperately that this would work.

Finally, the fateful word was spoken.

_"Now!"_

Taking in a deep breath, Carbuncle closed his eyes and immediately expanded his ruby light. The crystals lit up, and immediately the tower of white light was restored. Carbuncle grit his teeth and trembled. His muscles bulged. The light on his head burst forth with more radiance than before. The lights in the room once again burned strongly and turned blinding for a brief moment. The espers in the room once again were forced to look away. But now, it only lasted moments…

Gasping, Carbuncle relaxed an instant later and collapsed. The exhaustion was too much, and he swooned. The lights immediately went out. However…they had done their job. Only half of the airship had come through. The other half had been lost somewhere in the teleportation. It hovered in space a moment, showing off a huge cross section as the espers turned and looked to it, like it was some sort of schematic. But then, it abruptly dropped to the ground. The propellers were smashed, the lower hull collapsed, and a huge calamity sounded as it crashed and broke into thousands of pieces. Leviathan didn't care much for that. What was important was that the bridge had come through, and that Ifrit was safe and sound inside. That, and one other thing…

Red eyes blazing, yet now halted in sudden surprise, Shiva hovered over part of the symbol on the ground.

She looked around a moment, before suddenly her body went stiff as a board. She appeared surprised at this, but was nevertheless helpless to move or even turn her head. The espers in the first team had acted. Now, they all held their hands out at her and focused their telekinesis. Their cumulative mental force weighed her down and immobilized her. Even with her new powers, she was soon helpless to move. Leviathan stared at her a moment, and watched her struggle futily in her mental prison. But once he had caught his breath, seen that she had arrived, and saw that she was pinned, he drew himself up and calmed down. Very well, it was time for Phase III.

"Shiva! Hearken to me!"

The red eyed gaze of the frustrated esper turned to Leviathan. Not wasting a second, Leviathan's own powerful glare pierced hers. He began to stretch out his consciousness into her mind. It didn't take long before he was halted. The same solid wall of control blocked him. But he only paused against that for a moment. Then, he began to exert his own mental power.

The barrier did not move initially. But Leviathan had help. Seeing as he had begun, his team began to channel their mental strength into his, increasing his own power tenfold. As for Shiva, she began to struggle and attempted to break out of her telekinetic prison. But she couldn't. She was held too firm, and now the espers were forcing her to look into Leviathan's powerful blue eyes. The sea esper continued to push. The barrier still didn't move, and he put more power into it. He began to feel it push back as he did so, resisting his strength. Yet he kept pushing with everything he had. Soon, he was surprised. The mental control was so strong that he soon found himself exhausting his own base mental ability. But he had more thanks to the others, and grit his teeth and kept pushing. Still…there was resistance.

Balling his hands into fists, tightening his jaw, and developing a dark look, Leviathan doubled the power. Shiva gasped a bit at this…for whoever was controlling her didn't expect that sudden surge. But Leviathan was almost shocked to feel the barrier suddenly lunge right back at him, aggressively trying to push him back out of her head. He actually winced as he felt a headache ripple through his brain. But he was far from done. Immediately, he bit down and snapped back with another doubling of his power. Shiva cried out again, although her own face began to turn angry and focused. Now, the barrier began to quiver. Slowly and surely…Leviathan felt himself pushing it back, beginning to force it from Shiva's mind. On doing this, however, the controller grew angry. Shiva's own face grew hard and fierce…and lashed back at Leviathan's mind with renewed vigor.

The sea serpent was shocked. He gave out a cry and snapped back, nearly being pushed free of Shiva's mind. As it was…he soon found himself pushed back into his old position. Yet he managed to get ahold of himself just in time. Whoever this controller was…he was strong. Far stronger than any conventional esper. Pain flew through his head, and emotions of hostility began to come through him. But Leviathan wasn't done. He held himself where he was, and pushed back just as strong. Then, he began to increase the power slowly. As he did, he felt himself start to sweat and strain. His teeth began to hurt. But still, he pushed back and grew in power.

Shiva winced and began to emit small noises. She grit her own teeth and the lines on her neck began to appear. Leviathan soon sensed slowly increasing resistance. That made his head burn and ache. But still he increased the power. He had only hit half of his total. Getting angry, the controller pushed back on Leviathan in bursts of strength, trying to push him out. It hurt each time, and he winced and cried out with each one. The thing was aggressively snapping through Shiva to attack Leviathan's own brain. But the sea esper only grew angrier. He would not let himself be stopped. He would not let this alien win. He continued to increase his strength, going to sixfold and sevenfold. Shiva pushed back hard, and violently with successive strikes. But it wasn't good enough. Slowly…her force began to be pushed back.

The two continued to strain and struggle. The veins began to bulge out of either's head. Their faces turned red, and they both began to emit sounds of grunting and straining. Their eyes began to bulge as they focused all of their power at one another. Leviathan felt himself getting tired. His brain began to ache. It felt like he was grinding his skull into a rock, and the rock was grinding back. But still…he pushed it up. He went to eight-fold…nine-fold… The controller slowly began to be pushed out from Shiva's head. Soon, half of her consciousness was clear. But as he pushed…the force pushed back more angrily. It was like pushing water into a piston, building up more pressure. Her eyes blazed hatefully. Their red light burned more strongly. She sneered and began to foam at the mouth. Her whole body was wracked as she struggled harder than ever to break free. The telekinetic espers began to strain as well. Finally…Leviathan brought it up to tenfold. But as he did…he was only able to push the consciousness a bit more before it stopped. It would back up no more. It struggled to fight, but it was holding. Leviathan sneered. His head felt like it was burning now, but he tried to put more into it. Yet still, it wouldn't move. The consciousness refused to be pushed out of Shiva any further.

In a ragged gasp, Leviathan broke just enough focus to call to the others.

"More…"

The group members paused, but then did as commanded. Immediately, they began to strain as well. Their own faces grew tight and started to sweat. Slowly, more power began to flow into Leviathan. He pushed with it, straining himself more and more to put his own strength into it. Slowly, he began to push the force back. But it was fighting back again. It angrily pushed back, struggling to not get out. Saliva dripped from Shiva's mouth. Her eyes blazed and began to turn bloodshot. She sneered and began to nearly hiss.

"More!"

The espers grit their teeth and began to sweat as well. Leviathan started to buckle, gagging and groaning. His teeth gnashed, and his brain burned. It only got worse. Like an angry devil, the force was fighting back savagely, beating against Leviathan for all he was worth. It was struggling to push him out again, and began to succeed… But then, Leviathan brought in more power. He forced it back, and again it grew angrier than before. As he pushed it, it only increased its force and resistance. It fought back harder and harder. It was like trying to push a stone through a mountain.

Blood began to drip from both noses of both people. Their pupils shrank, and their eyes popped more blood vessels. The espers began to falter and twist, spending their strength against this monstrous force. They were starting to bend. Leviathan felt their powers peak as they gave everything they could to him. They too began to grow dizzy. They nearly were passing out. Leviathan's brain burned. It felt like it was ready to explode out of his skull. Shiva's controller hissed and spat, continuing endlessly to fling itself on him, unlimited in strength and pushing violently. Leviathan couldn't withstand it. He had to try one more time… Quickly, he recoiled for a brief second, just long enough to gather all his power together. He inhaled sharply as bullets of salty sweat poured into his mouth…and then screamed.

"HA!"

Leviathan summoned all of their power together in one final blast. It was the strongest by far. He strained his own faculties to the limit. His brain felt like half of its neurons had popped. He felt as if it had just swollen and cracked his skull on all sides. He felt nauseous, dizzy, sick, and dazzled all at once as force too great for him to hold burst through his skull.

But as for Shiva…her head was violently snapped back. Blood rushed from her nose and her ears now. The controller gagged within her brain one last time before the power ripped it off of all of its handholds and shoved it from her mind. And now that it was out…it quickly dissipated and faded into nothing. Shiva's head recoiled for a moment…as her strained, agonized face slumped and turned normal, and her red eyes slowly faded back into their previous icy blue color. But then, the strain having been too much for her, she groaned once and passed out.

Leviathan himself only managed to see this before his own world turned fuzzy…and everything faded into blackness.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	6. The Dark Esper Returns

As Leviathan opened his eyes and his vision cleared, he soon began to realize that his surroundings had changed. Immediately, he became conscious of the bright white light that could only come from the day. He heard birds singing outside, and he could feel the morning breeze. However, he also was aware that he was lying prone at the moment. A stone ceiling occupied most of his vision, although he could see a little ahead because his head was elevated. As his bearings began to come back, he realized he was lying on one of the couches in Terratopolis. He hesitated a moment, blinking and clearing his vision a bit more. He swallowed a little.

"He's coming around, my lady."

Leviathan opened his eyes at that. His view had changed. Now, there were others coming up to him. Kirin's head was darting over him on her long thin neck. But Starlet had also appeared, and she was leaning close to him. Her look was full of concern, but also relief that he was finally awake. She reached out her hand and brushed back his brown hair, for he had maintained human form even when passing out. She smiled, but said nothing. He blinked again, and then turned to her. He still felt a bit sore, but he endured it.

"…How long have I been out?"

"Since last night." Starlet answered. "Shiva recovered much faster than you."

Leviathan blinked at that, and leaned up afterward. He felt a bit of pain in his head, but it was easy to tolerate. Now, he looked over the constituents of the rest of the room. It was in one of the more open chambers of Terratopolis, with a large awning and walk-out area for stepping outside. It was open, and the curtains freely blew as wind whipped over him. It wasn't in the medical wing. Rather, it was in one of the chambers for the older espers to relax in. However, what he was lying on was indeed a bed cushion. As he looked around a bit more, and began to recognize several models and bookcases filled well past capacity, he saw that it had to be his study. He also saw that there were also others in the room. In addition to Starlet and Kirin, he also saw that Ifrit and Palidor were standing farther away…as was Shiva. She looked like her normal cold self again, her eyes free of red light. But in addition, there was one other figure leaning darkly against the back wall. Leviathan zeroed in on this one with some surprise.

"…Lord Bahamut…"

Wyvern seemed to frown a bit that Leviathan was still keeping up the façade. However, he merely gave a snort to him. "…I came back simply because having more espers search around for our quarry is better than me doing it on my own." He coldly replied. "Also…the only thing I have more contempt for than traitors is weaklings that try to command us as if we were child's playthings. Until this…'Kuja'…is dead, we have a common cause."

Kirin was looking up to this in puzzlement. However, Leviathan ignored her. Within the next few days, the truth was going to come out one way or the other. He merely gave a single nod to Wyvern. That was all he needed, after all. With that done, he turned his attention back away and to the others, particularly to Shiva. He also sighed a bit and tried to steady himself. Even with increased regeneration, he was still wiped out from that exchange. He hadn't expected nearly so much power from the controller. The seal that he had made on Wyvern was strong indeed…but it had broken in the end. Now, there were only two espers still enslaved. He also thought back to Terrato. This was the second day since he had given him his week ultimatum…

Once looking at her, Shiva gave a courteous bow to Leviathan. "…Thank you, father, for freeing me." She simply stated. She wasn't one to get emotional or tearful, even about something like this. She was all business. "I owe you my life."

Leviathan, on the other hand, was very relieved that one of their kind were free again. The same with the other espers in the chamber, particularly Ifrit. He noticed that he happened to have a hand around her waist even now and was holding her close. And the sea serpent gave her a smile in response as well, glad to have some relief for a change. He nodded back. "I'm just glad you're ok, Shiva. But don't just thank me. Save some of your praise for Ifrit. He acted as the bait for our little trap. Also thank Carbuncle for providing the teleportation, and the other espers who assisted me. Although…I am a bit curious. You have recovered already?"

"Shiva recovered only an hour after you passed out, sir." Kirin explained in response. "Her mental faculties were strained, but nothing too serious. You, however, were a different matter. You were close to suffering a stroke from the amount of power you put out. A portion of your brain might have atrifuted. I was afraid the damage might be more severe. I will have to ask you not to attempt something like this again for a few weeks."

Leviathan was most shocked to realize that, and turned to Kirin in surprise. That had been the extent of the damage? True…he had been in a lot of pain. Remembering it made him tired. It had taken everything he had to force that consciousness out of his head. But he had no idea he had put forth that much power… That the controller had resisted him so violently… This changed things dramatically. He was stunned as to what had happened to him. He looked down and stared out in space as he thought for a moment. Yet after a second longer, he sighed and looked dismal.

"Hmph…so the test was both a success and failure." He grimly answered. "I managed to break Shiva out…but I can't do it with Odin and Atomos. Their own powers are greater than Shiva, so they have more faculties with which to be used against me. That power was far too strong…far stronger than any human can generate. Assuming it was the anomaly…we can conclude at this point that the anomaly is not human, or likely of this world."

The others gave each other looks at that, but no more worry or grimness. After all, they still had plenty to be worried about already. After a moment, however, they turned back to each other and sighed slightly. Leviathan was already reaching up and beginning to stroke his chin again. This was a puzzle indeed… There seemed to be nothing immediately for it. After a moment, he turned and looked up to the bird esper in the room.

"Palidor…I see you've come back. I guess that means we have more news."

The bird esper inhaled, but then gave a nod. "We do, my lord. Per your request, I have been keeping an eye on the navy from Alexandria. They have finished assembling, and are moving out. It will take them some time to arrive at their destination, and unfortunately I can only conclude they are headed for somewhere on the Outer Continent. They will probably change course as they draw nearer. They are definitely headed for Kuja, however. She appears to know where he is, although we do not. We have been scanning the globe, but have found little sign of him. There are a few places that look interesting, but we are unsure of which to go to first.

"There is some good news, however. It appears that Dali has ceased production of the black mages. Apparently, this Kuja removed critical components from the machines prior to his leaving. Now, there's no way they can produce more. That's probably a reason why the Queen is desperate to exact a revenge on him."

Leviathan frowned. She already had two powerful espers and an army of black mages. Why would she need more? However, he nodded in the end. This was good news, after all.

"There's something more shocking." Palidor went on. "The black mages…some of them are…revolting."

Leviathan raised an eyebrow to this. The others did as well.

"Some of them appear to have gained some sort of consciousness and personality. I don't know how." Palidor continued. "But those that have abandoned the Queen. They are only the minority this point, but they appear to all be rather old ones. They have fled to the Outer Continent as well, and they seem to be trying to build their own village." Palidor paused at this, and snorted a bit. "It's actually a little sad. It looks like kids trying to play pretend 'town'."

The sea serpent, however, continued to look intrigued. Well now…this was quite a change. Until now, the only ones with personalities had been sadistic and evil. But now, these "quasi-lifeforms" appeared to be developing their own consciousness. This, unusual as it seemed, was more good news. Perhaps that meant that, in time, all of Brahne's forces would defect. At least they appeared to not have a love of killing when they became aware… And if she could make no more, then that meant that eventually the backbone of her army would desert her…

"What about Garnet and her friends?"

"They have met up with Eiko. Currently, they are in Madain Sari. I'm not sure where they plan to go next. Mog is now reporting to us, and she says that they're just trying to make dinner at the moment."

Leviathan paused for a moment and thought over this. This was an interesting change. There were many new things to consider. Now that Garnet was close to the Iifa Tree, there was a chance that he too would soon be called into duty. His special Aquamarine was there. However, that still left the matter of what to do about the two remaining rogue espers, and about this queen. From now on, it appeared, any damage that they did to her would be lasting. She wouldn't be able to refill her black mage troops, which could be randomly leaving her side all the time, and she probably wasn't too happy about losing Shiva. But this wasn't good enough. Leviathan now knew that they couldn't break Odin and Atomos free so easily. What more…if this Kuja had been behind the stealing of the espers and the black mage construction to begin with, then perhaps he, not Queen Brahne, was the real target. There was one thing for certain. Both of them were dangerous. Perhaps eliminating both would free the two rogue espers…

Leviathan stroked his chin for a moment. "…This is intriguing…" He remarked after a moment. "Queen Brahne is bringing her whole fleet to bear, with every black mage available, just to go after one person… I assume that means we can consider this Kuja to be rather dangerous himself. Maybe we should be worried more about him giving his technology to another power."

"The cannons of Alexandria are strong enough, however." Shiva replied to this. "There is little more that an army of black mages can do, especially if they are low power. You would think she might leave at least a garrison of some in her conquered territories. They have been the mainstay of her new infantry."

Leviathan scratched his chin. "Perhaps…" He slowly mused. "Unless…they weren't being used for their direct powers. Keep in mind that although the Queen has control of Odin and Atomos, she lacks any magical ability to summon them. She's been using her black mages to do that. That's why Bahamut saw those things summoning him. And if she's realized that her army is abandoning her left and right, then she knows she has little time and resources remaining."

Wyvern snorted at that, especially the Bahamut part.

"My bet is that she's bringing them along to summon espers to combat Kuja." Leviathan concluded. "With their enhanced powers, they'll be quite the combatants."

Wyvern hissed again. "Letting us do her dirty work, eh? Great…"

The sea serpent, however, raised an eyebrow to this. "Interesting… Perhaps, it would be best, if we let things unfold."

The other espers turned to this in puzzlement. They weren't expecting that kind of response. Leviathan stroked his chin a moment, and then shrugged.

"Think about it. Let us assume that Kuja is very powerful, perhaps even greater than us. Then the espers used against him, with their enhanced powers, are our best bet of beating him. At any rate, they should weaken him. And even if they do get struck down, then that will be our best bet for capturing them and breaking the control link…while they're weak. Besides, we aren't sure where this Kuja is, and he's at least as dangerous as Brahne. Why don't we let her find him for us?"

The others hesitated at that. The idea did seem to have some merit. Starlet frowned at the idea of essentially using their controlled brethren as pawns, but Leviathan knew that this might be the only chance to break their control. He was quickly starting to feel that this Kuja, and the powers he had, was the greater problem at hand. They could deal with Brahne more easily if he was down. Perhaps it would simply be a matter of waiting if her magical forces quit. Without them…she might even lose the ability to control Odin and Atomos. And she did seem to have a good knowledge of where he might be. And they might as well let their enemy do the fighting for them. And in truth…he wanted to play for more time. Every hour that went by brought the stone monolith closer and closer to completion. That was his main trump card, if all else failed. After a moment longer, the others began to merely shrug, and look to each other with innocence. Finally, they turned back to Leviathan.

The sea serpent nodded. "Alright then. Let's intensify our scouting, and make sure that the Queen doesn't so much as spit without us knowing it."

* * *

It had been a day since Leviathan had made that statement at this point.

Now, the sea serpent desperately tried to occupy his time, hoping he had made the right decision. He tried to wrack his brains for other plans during this interim. He could think of little. Everything now seemed to ride on the outcome of the coming conflict, but also of how long it would take to finish the stone monolith. That, unfortunately, was still days away. He and the other members of his inner circle were forced to wait.

Shiva had wanted to resume scouting duties, but Ifrit wouldn't allow it. So she was forced to wait here with many of the others. More scouts in addition to Palidor had been dispatched. There was no danger of the rogue espers attacking anytime soon. It appeared, by now, that the rogue espers were mindless. They didn't share their knowledge with the Queen. And so they waited. Wyvern had been impatiently pacing around, and had not cared when others came up to him and greeted him. Secretly…Leviathan was glad this was taking so long. Only when the stone monolith was complete would they be out of danger. However, they still had to get Garnet and Eiko back to Alexandria. That would be much easier if some of their foes were preoccupied.

Leviathan himself tried reading, eating, sleeping, playing chess, playing triple triad, and about every other game he could think of. He was the reigning champion, but he didn't even care when he lost to, of all people, Titan, who simply randomly put cards down every time. He was too concerned with what was happening. Anything could be going on right now, and it was making him nervous. The Queen and Kuja might be threats they merely had to wait for right now, but what of the others? What of Garnet and her friends? Leviathan feared that the Queen wouldn't let her go so easily. She was again a threat as a summoner. Something might come up soon.

The sea serpent paced along the grounds of Terratopolis now. Many things were changing. Much was at stake in the next few hours. There was very little time left before something would happen. The results of this would decide the fate of many. Yet at last…it seemed as if things were coming to a close. Still, the sounds of the birds, the smell of the flowers, and the sun hanging low seemed strange as of late. He couldn't help but have the telltale feeling that he was missing something. Somehow, in the span of all that had happened, some greater detail was underneath it that he had failed to conclude… Something was wrong about all of this…something was not right…as if some other goal was underneath these more base ones…

Leviathan was deep in this line of thought when he heard a voice crying out overhead, loud and long for all to hear.

"It's gone! The mist is gone!"

The esper immediately perked up his head to that, and he wasn't alone. Instantly, the other espers around the grounds turned up and looked as well. The noise was what grabbed them at first. But as they all looked up, they changed. They realized what they were hearing, and their faces began to turn to surprise and confusion. They turned and looked down to each other, and looked bewildered. Leviathan himself was among them, only he didn't look down. He focused overhead as he watched the source of the noise fly over.

Palidor had returned. The moment her radiant plumage passed over Terratopolis, she had sounded the announcement. Now, she circled overhead and continued to blare out the same call. The mist was gone. Leviathan blinked at that, and wondered if she meant what he thought she did. The mist on the Mist Continent? The strange substance that had been coming from the ground? That puzzled him…but he didn't think of it long. Palidor swept overhead a few more times, but then bent down and began to sail right for him. Leviathan immediately straightened as she came, and moments later she touched down right in front of him.

"My lord…an incredible thing has happened."

Leviathan looked at her for a moment, but then nodded. "I guess so, Palidor. Were you referring to the mist of the Mist Continent?"

The bird esper readily nodded.

The sea esper hesitated a moment. That was quite a development. What did it mean? And how had it happened? He had thought until now that the mist was coming from the Iifa Tree. So what did this mean? Was the tree dead? Had it stopped growing? What was this mist anyway? He realized he had never quite come to a conclusion about that matter in the first place… Ever since those black mages had been processed from it, however, he began to grow more nervous about its true nature. And it did have some energy qualities to it… What did it mean, then, if it had stopped?

Palidor soon continued. "I'm not sure how it happened, sir. But Garnet and her group entered into the Iifa Tree in search of Kuja. We are beginning to believe that Kuja himself might be in that vicinity. At any rate, they entered the tree, and after a short time…the mist just stopped. It had been flooding out of the roots near the ground, but then it simply dried up and ceased. The other scouts near Alexandria confirm it. The mist has been completely cut off. The airships of Lindbulm…those that are still operational…have all ground to a halt. For the first time in centuries, the Mist Continent is clearly visible."

Leviathan went silent at that. This was quite a development… He wasn't sure what to think from it. In truth…he wasn't even sure if it was good or bad. He had felt for years that the mist had some sort of spiritual traces in it. So having the flow shut off might not have been the best thing. Then again…freely floating spiritual traces weren't sources of comfort either. He was a bit at a loss of what to think. At any rate, he hoped this wasn't some sort of omen of bad things to come. Or a sign of something worse about to reveal itself… This merited further analysis, but for the time being he could not provide it. The most important thing now was to deal with the problems they had at hand.

"There's more, sir." Palidor soon continued, turning Leviathan's thoughts away from this and back to their current problems. "Queen Brahne's fleet is almost within range of the Outer Continent. They have changed their course, and it is now clear to where they are going. They are headed toward the Iifa Tree…and will be there within four hours."

Leviathan reacted to this as well. So…it appeared that there was a connection. But what? Was his hidden variable somewhere in the midst of all this? There was definitely something going on. The tree…the mist…Kuja… Somehow they had to be connected. But the tree had been around for centuries. Abnormal as this Kuja character was, he knew full well that he wasn't that old. But he had known how to use the mist… This was getting puzzling, and it was starting to unnerve him. Something big was happening, and he had a feeling that the meeting between the Queen and Kuja was going to reveal it. That meant that in just a few hours, they would have some sort of answer…

Finally, Leviathan nodded and looked to her. "Summon the others. We're having a meeting."

* * *

As it drew closer and closer to zero hour, Leviathan found himself once again gathered in one of the meeting chambers. Again, those who were together on this matter had come. Ifrit, Shiva, Ramuh, Palidor, Starlet, and Wyvern had joined together. Leviathan was looking out one of the windows, looking at the courtyard below. However, neither he nor anyone else was really thinking about the other espers in the mountain fortress, save for what they would soon have to tell them. It had been a few hours since Palidor had arrived. He had already told everyone the news once they had come into this room. Now…it fell on them to wait for what would happen next. Leviathan had thought about sending Palidor out to the Iifa Tree to investigate more…but he decided against it in the end. He wasn't sure what exactly would happen…and the last time he sent an esper off into a dangerous, unknown situation, things had ended up pretty badly. Now, instead, he was stretching out his senses to try and get a better grasp of this from afar. He could, after all, sense powers from this close. The Iifa Tree was only about a hundred miles from their own location.

Nervousness was evident among everyone. On hearing Leviathan's plan, some of them were skeptical. Starlet especially didn't like the idea of essentially letting Queen Brahne act as their pawn. And Wyvern had said he'd just as soon blow them both away. However…Leviathan knew sending any esper out into this would just invite the Queen to respond with Odin or Atomos, and even their powers combined were no match for this "Nekura" Odin. He had to wait, unfortunately, as did the others.

"…Eiko has a larger repitoire of espers…" Starlet suggested after a moment. "Are any of them capable of…?"

Leviathan frowned and shook his head, not turning around. "No. Eiko can only summon Fenrir and Carbuncle. She has one of Phoenix's Pinions, which allows her to summon an image of her spirit, but the offensive ability is weak. Fenrir is only good if the enemy is on the ground, and Brahne will be in the ocean while Kuja will be flying. As for Carbuncle…he's useless for offense."

"I won't be much good either." Ramuh ruefully added. "Compared to those types of powers…I'm far too weak."

"What about you, father?" Shiva suggested. "Garnet could get your Aquamarine, couldn't she?"

"Perhaps." Leviathan answered with a frown. "But she is still too faithful to her foster mother, even now. Any Tsunami that I raised in that area, regardless of the target, would likely seriously damage or destroy the Queen's fleet. This close to water, I have no control over the source of my attack."

"So we're left to wait." Wyvern snorted. "Terrific…"

Leviathan sighed and went silent after that. With the discussion over, he tried to do what the higher-powered espers were likely doing now…stretching out with their senses to see what was going on. He grit his teeth again at the wish that he had a scout out there. But he held it back and continued to focus. It wouldn't be long now. The four hours were nearly up. At any moment, the two forces could collide. As Leviathan stretched out his focus, he began to pick up small forms of life. Rather…he picked up _large_ forms of life. Things seemed to be huge, dangerous, and abnormal around the Iifa Tree. As a matter of fact…he almost thought he saw an _increase_ in these types of dull lifeforms since the mist stopped… That was an item of concern. Yet he also was picking out more potent traces. He especially keyed in on the other anomaly. He stuck out like a sore thumb. Looking around, he was able to pick up on Garnet, Eiko, the juvenile black mage…and two other odd signatures. At any rate, they were going along with them, so they had to be friends…

Then, Leviathan halted, and his eyes widened.

"…He's there."

The others immediately wheeled to Leviathan at that. Their own private thoughts ceased. Ones like Ramuh and Starlet soon reacted as well, for they had been scanning this whole time. Soon, however, the other espers began to do the same. It took no time at all for them to extend their own senses and lock onto the power. As they did…they likewise began to grow nervous at what Leviathan was sensing.

Palidor had been right, Leviathan thought. This anomaly _was_ dangerous…and evil. Far more wicked and powerful than the other. He actually grew a bit nervous… He didn't know humans could get this strong. Then again…this might not actually be a human. At any rate, it was dramatically powerful. Leviathan doubted that his Tsunami would actually beat it even if he could be summoned. He was surprised he hadn't seen this before. It was only due to the fact that Odin's own strength had been so strong, and the power in him so evil, that he hadn't picked up on Kuja at Lindbulm. Odin's new power might be enough for this evil…but he bet that the Queen wasn't going to risk it. That, more than anything, was what made him nervous now…

There appeared to be a large power assisting Kuja. This one looked familiar…but was also an anomaly. That puzzled him. Since when had a third strange signature shown up? And why did it feel so familiar? It almost seemed like one of the silver dragons… That must have been what he had been flying on back at Lindbulm. At any rate, he soon received many more signatures. As he sat there, he began to detect thousands closing in. Many of them were weak, no more than a basal human chi. But there were a lot more that were considerably stronger, though they were far weaker, even cumulatively, to Kuja. They also didn't feel quite like real individuals. Those had to be the force of black mages. The Queen definitely was pulling out all the stops.

"Looks like they're in for quite the battle…" Leviathan murmured aloud.

The room went silent as Leviathan continued to scan. He watched nervously as he saw the presences draw nearer and nearer to one another. It was hard to say where they were in true relation with one another. All Leviathan could really make out was that they were getting closer, and Kuja was circling. For a moment, it seemed as if Garnet's group and Kuja connected to one another. Leviathan felt terror at that. Kuja was more than powerful enough to kill Garnet, Eiko, and whatever esper they threw at him. Yet he held true to the one maxim of all villains, it seemed: arrogance. He didn't want to "waste his time" on them, but turned his attention to the sea. So now, he was nearing them. Soon after, the closing masses came to a halt. Leviathan began to sense spikes in power both from the black mages and from Kuja soon after.

The fight had to be on.

"Urk…"

The moment Leviathan heard that…a fear awoke again in his heart. He had been expecting this. Yet at once, he broke off his concentration and turned back to the others. There was Wyvern. His head was bowed again, and he was gritting his teeth and straining. The others looked to him, and they too grew nervous. They knew what this had to be.

"You just…don't get it…do you?" Wyvern violently snapped. He grunted and forced his head up. If Leviathan had been scanning, he would have seen five black mages die at that. However, Wyvern was soon down again, beginning to sweat and grabbing the sides of his head. He strained and struggled for a moment, but then cried out again. Back at the Iifa Tree, more black mages began to die. However, more jumped in as well. It wouldn't be long before all of them would be chanting for Wyvern to come forth. He continued to resist, however.

Leviathan grew nervous. They couldn't let this happen, no matter what. "Bahamut…let me boost your power…" He suggested.

"Shut up!" Wyvern snapped back. "I don't need your help! Get out of my head!" He spasmed again, and threw off more.

"Wait!" Starlet suddenly cried out.

To that, all except Wyvern turned to the female esper. When Leviathan saw her, he saw that her face had changed, as if she had suddenly gotten an idea. She held a moment, but then looked to the others optimistically. "Why don't we let him be summoned?"

The others immediately turned to surprise at that suggestion. Wyvern himself cracked open his eyes to turn and glare at Starlet. Leviathan was overwhelmed. Had Starlet lost her mind?

However, the queen anticipated this, and held up her hands in a stopping gesture. "Think about it. IfBahamut lets himself be called without being forced to, he'll still be in control. Then, he'll be free to attack at full strength. He can defeat Kuja, and we don't have to worry about Odin or Atomos being called in, because the Queen will think that Bahamut is under her control. We'll have a chance to attack Kuja for all we're worth."

Leviathan paused after hearing that. Slowly, his surprise began to fade. Actually…that wasn't such a bad idea. Strong as Kuja was, Leviathan knew he couldn't take control of Wyvern. Even one of his evil power was outclassed in the end. And he knew that Wyvern would love to attack Kuja unrestrained. This might be the only way they could intervene. And if Garnet or Eiko decided to fight as well, then their espers would help, not hurt. Perhaps this was a good idea after all. The sea esper turned to Wyvern at that, seeing his verdict.

He was still struggling and sweating. However, he had heard this, and the idea seemed to intrigue him. After a moment or so longer, he actually managed a grin underneath his struggling. "You know…for once, I think you're actually on to something. Why not? Pretending to be that fatass' lap dog is a small price to pay to see the look on that wizard's face…"

Leviathan hesitated…once again feeling like he might be missing something. But in the end, he sighed and shrugged. "I guess it's worth a shot…"

Wyvern smirked a bit, but then turned back ahead. He hesitated a moment, but then took in a deep breath and exhaled. At that, he straightened his body up and calmed down. He balled his hands into fists at his sides, stretched out his wings, and then called out into the sky.

"Alright, you worthless sack of lard! I'm ready! Bring me to the Iifa Tree!"

A moment later, a great cloud seemed to gather right in the middle of the room. Surprised, the other espers immediately snapped back. It was thick and gray, and quickly swirled out and began to surround Wyvern. The esper didn't care, but only continued to stare out. The others watched as he was soon wrapped in the cloud, which seemed to whip around on invisible currents and surround him. As it did, Leviathan became conscious of a ripping sound. It was just like Carbuncle had made the day before. The cloud continued to swirl until Wyvern vanished into it. After that, it started to flash out lights, almost like small bolts of lightning and thunder within it. The others recoiled a bit more to this, but kept watching. The ripping sound grew in intensity. As the clouds grew more chaotic and violent, the ripping grew louder and louder until it became almost like a thunder roar…

Then, finally, it collapsed back in on itself, like a cosmic zipper being closed. As it did, the smoke readily was sucked into a small place in the center of Wyvern. It flooded into it like there was a vacuum there. As it was drawn into it, the rumbling stopped, and the space that was revealed was empty. Wyvern was gone. Yet the espers could do nothing about that now. They could only stare as the smoke was sucked into that tiny point of oblivion, and a large thunderous crash went out as it vanished into the hole in space.

* * *

_At least I'll finally get to use my full powers…_

_Besides…this should be fun._

Wyvern thought things along these lines as the smoke cleared about him. Already, he sensed he was no longer standing on solid ground. But he didn't care. Immediately, he unfurled his wings and began to fly forward. Moments later, he emerged from the smoke cloud, and found that his surroundings had changed.

The ocean now stretched beneath him. Filling this section of it were red ships, each one of them thundering off cannon fire ahead of him. Of course, now they were ceasing, not wanting to hit him. There were fires on many of the ships, and some were sinking. There were also black mages all over them, some of them dead from Wyvern's power, while others were aflame or frozen or whatever. He didn't bother looking at them long, even as the human crew turned to gaze in marvel of the new arrival. His attention was focused up ahead. Looming in front of him, tall and powerful, was the Iifa Tree. Having never been this close to it, Wyvern could see it was easily taller than Terratopolis had been when it was still above ground. It looked rather bizarre too… But Wyvern cared little for this either. This wasn't what he had come for. Instead, he turned his gaze down to see some little object buzzing around…like an annoying little bug.

Wyvern grinned, and then took off for this object. Prideful as always, he didn't bother trying to sense the massive amount of power coming from it. He only reveled in his own unbridled power. Soon, he was closing on the object, and even gave out one of his powerful roars to signify his approach. It seemed his target was aware of him. No sooner had he arrived than the target immediately turned to meet up with him. He didn't know who this dead daredevil was…but he supposed it didn't matter. It saved him the annoyance of chasing him down. Both began to close on each other now, both of them flapping their respective wings.

At last, they closed to about two hundred feet between the two. At that, Wyvern hesitated and banked himself into a stall. He halted in midair and began to hover. In response, it appeared his target did the same thing. No doubt, the fat monarch below was probably going to get angry at this, wanting "Bahamut" to hurry up and kill her opposition. But Wyvern wanted to look at it first.

On doing so, he had to struggle not to laugh. Some bizarre version of a silver dragon appeared to be providing the flight ability to his target. But as for the man himself, he was ridiculous. He almost looked like he was wearing some sort of white toga…even dress. He had some sort of shoulder armor and boots on that were darker. However, his hair was white, and both it and his face were distinctly feminine. He even went so far as to put feathers in his hair and makeup on his face. Wyvern grinned at the sight. This androgynous little whelp was the wizard?

"Well, look what we have here…" He mused aloud in his dark voice. "What are you? Some sort of Treno fop? Didn't anyone ever tell you you're a man, or are you a drag queen? To tell you the truth, I'm a little confused myself…"

In reply, the man…if he was a man…looked neither insulted nor miffed. As a matter of fact…he actually smiled pleasantly at Wyvern. He held a hand to his mouth and actually let out a chuckle…just like a lady would. Wyvern's smile faltered a bit at this. Not only was this thing an androgynous twerp, he was also insulting him. It seemed as if Wyvern's mere presence amused him. Wyvern held back, however. There would be time enough to wipe that smile off of his face…

Or, more accurately, _rip_ it off.

"The great Bahamut… King of the Dragons…" Kuja mused aloud, his voice also androgynous. It was sickening…as was the air of merriment he carried on it. "At last we meet. I was wondering how much of the fat queen's navy I had to destroy before she would call you out. However…this is intriguing. You actually are talking back to me. Does that mean you actually came of your own free will?"

"We had a common interest." Wyvern darkly replied. "Neither of us have any love for airheaded little crossdressers."

Kuja only seemed to be even more amused by this…further aggravating Wyvern. "Is that so?" He answered in his smooth, sickening voice. "Well then, by all means, let's see what you have. Don't disappoint me."

Wyvern grinned again, flashing his teeth dangerously. "Gladly."

With that, Wyvern opened his mouth and discharged a Pyrin. Never so much as batting an eye, and smiling the whole way, Kuja made his dragon fly up and soar over it. Wyvern immediately took off after him, swinging out his tail and threatening to smash them both into nothingness. But the silver dragon nimbly rotated in midair, and dodged it again. Wyvern wasn't finished though. He began to chase after them, and his much faster speed soon caught up. He proceeded to snap viciously at them both, aiming to rip off Kuja's head with each bite as he darted his head down and chomped at them. At length, Kuja, looking bored with this, held out one of his hands while still directly his dragon to dodge. A blue flame erupted into it, and moments later he swung it at Wyvern, flinging the energy at him.

Wyvern merely smacked away the first ball with the back of his hand. Kuja, however, wasn't finished. He flung another and another after that, generating them rapidly with both hands. Wyvern, now growing irritated and bored as well, smacked both away quickly in response. However, wanting an end to this, he simply stood still and let the last one hit him. His head snapped back a few inches in response as it connected and erupted, but after it was done he simply pulled his headforward and smiled. With that, he dove on Kuja with his talons outstretched, forcing the wizard to fly for it.

The silver dragon was capable of dodging well, at any rate. It dipped down quickly to avoid Wyvern's attack, and then flew forward afterward with increased speed. Wyvern stopped himself, and then looked down to Kuja as he fled. When he did, he saw the wizard turn back around and gesture something with his hands. Moments later, clouds began to gather overhead. The sky began to rumble. Raising an eyebrow, Wyvern looked to the sky.Itquickly turnedovercast andblack and began to flash light. Moments later, a great thunderbolt shot down and struck Wyvern right in the back. The esper winced and bent back in response as the deadly energy flashed behind him. However, that was only for a moment. The lightning vanished, and soon the sky turned normal again. As it did, Wyvern sneered and looked down to his prey.

"What are you trying to do? Tickle me?"

With that, Wyvern dove at Kuja once again. He increased his own speed this time, and just nearly missed locking his jaws around the white-haired fop. However, Kuja's dragon still seemed to be one better. It seemed even better than the conventional silver dragons. It dove again, this time nearly plunging itself into an accelerated free fall. Wyvern halted in its former position, and watched it dive to the ocean. This was getting annoying. He could clip the wings of that annoying little insect in a heartbeat, but it was so fast it was managing to avoid him. Well…he supposed it was time to stop playing around. Boring as this might be in the long run, it would at least end this quicker.

Wyvern unfurled his wings and steadied himself in the sky. He zeroed in on Kuja as he fell. He began to summon his power into him, and felt a sudden rush of fire and thunder within his belly. His muscles tightened, his brow began to sweat, and he blazed forth with unparalleled might. There may have not been enough darkness for his Noc-Pyrin, but it didn't matter. This would more than suffice for the likes of the gnat buzzing beneath him. The sky rumbled again and darkened under his power, and he opened his mouth and blazed out the name of his attack.

"Mega-Pyron!"

Huge balls of fire soon erupted from his jaws. Each one had a tail on it like a shooting star, and each thundered to the ground and began to erupt the moment they hit the ocean. Each one caused an eruption great enough to destroy one of Brahne's ships. Great towers of fire and thunder soon turned the ocean into a maelstrom. Quickly, Kuja banked up his dragon and began to fly low, skirting past the attacks. But that wouldn't save him, Wyvern thought with glee. He turned his head up, and continued to fire shot after shot to him, adjusting his stream to blow up the area around him. Soon, the silver dragon was struggling for all it was worth to make its way through the flames and explosions that threatened to tear it to shreds with each blast. Wyvern vented his incredible fury for a few fateful moments, struggling to obliterate Kuja and his ride…

Then, at last, he cut off. The ocean water turned the fire and smoke into steam, and soon a great cloud of dense vapor was all that was coming from Wyvern's wake. The gray mist hung for a moment silently…but only a moment. After that, untouched, the silver dragon soared out from the mist, cutting through it like a knife through butter. It immediately soared into the sky, bearing its androgynous mount with it. Wyvern showed nothing. He continued to hover and glare at his quarry. His face was grim and frowning. As it did, his sensors managed to show Kuja's calm, merry face turn around and merely smile in response to Wyvern's attempts to hit him, mocking him again with its look.

In response…Wyvern smiled back widely.

Kuja's own smile soon faded…as a trickle of blood from his scalp rolled down across his nose.

As it did…his own white hand rose up and touched it, smearing it against his head. Instantly, his merriment was gone. It was replaced by him gritting his teeth in anger, and glaring hatefully as he pulled his head back, seeing it now smeared with his blood. If Wyvern wasn't so prone to anger as well…he would have seen the full measure of hatred and loathing in Kuja's eyes as he glared evilly at the damage done to him. He would have seen that such wasn't normal. He would have sensed the sudden surge in Kuja's power…going from mere sadism to insane rage.

Instead, Wyvern merely chuckled, his own laugh a dragon roar over the landscape. "I thought your pale complexion could use a little color." He sneered in response to the wizard. "I'll take your scalp off next. Or maybe I'll just end this by killing that lizard underneath you, and watch you scream as you fall to your death."

Kuja looked away from his hand and glared at Wyvern for a moment. His look was still stricken with fury and anger. The esper liked this. Good…become angry, and then turn to despair…and fear. It was just the beginning of the horrors he had planned for him. However, as Kuja continued to fly around, he soon changed.

Abruptly…the man began to laugh.

Wyvern's smile faded, and it turned into a dark frown. But Kuja continued. Soon, his anger was gone again. A light look appeared on his face, and he was carefree and merry. He held his hand to his mouth again…and laughed. It was a horrible, sickening laugh…mocking and sweet enough to rot one's teeth. It curdled the blood and cooled the spine. And yet he only got louder with it…staying sweet and yet now turning dark as well. He laced it with venom like an assassin laces a drink with foul poison. And yet he kept laughing, continuing to mock Wyvern and casting off his threats and his power. As he kept it up, Wyvern's frown began to turn into a sneer.

"Good! Good! Wonderful!" The androgynous voice cheered. "Power… Speed… Magical ability… You truly are the greatest of all eidilons! You're poetry in motion! You even managed to hurt me!" He paused here, and then gave a casual shrug. "A little." He added, as if that was barely worth considering.

Wyvern didn't know whether he should feel flattered or insulted. In the end, he merely flashed his teeth. "Well, I suppose I should thank you for that. Now, if you're finished, I think I'll try to see how a certain white asexual bird tastes…"

However, to this, Kuja turned the silver dragon fully around and faced Wyvern. As he did…the great esper was suddenly taken aback. At that moment…Kuja's own evil stare pierced his full force. His wicked smile beamed at Wyvern with an insidious air. A cold feeling went over the great esper…and he suddenly felt his heart and lungs freeze. His mouth loosened and dropped…for despite his poor vision, he could _see_ Kuja's eyes glow forth and pierce his.

"I'm afraid this scene is over, Bahamut. It's time for the next act…"

That was all that Wyvern heard…before his brain went on fire, driving him to spasm in agony in midair and scream in pain.

* * *

Leviathan suddenly snapped back. He cried out, and grasped his head in pain. It felt like a wasp had just flown into his head and stung it. Now, his mind ached from some sort of mental poison, and he found himself unable to think or concentrate. He could only hold his head in pain and wince, giving out occasional moans.

The others in the room immediately turned to him. They had just seen Kuja and Wyvern pause yet again. But other than that, they saw little. Leviathan was the only one actually getting into Wyvern's head. They turned nervous, and waited to see what had happened. Starlet herself forgot about the fight and rushed over to her husband's side. She quickly put an arm around him and supported him. Her other hand took his free one, while he placed another to his brow. Leviathan panted and breathed hard for a few moments, trying to recover from the sharp pain that had gone through his skull. But at length, he blinked and opened his eyes, and gasped as he stood there. His eyes grew large, and he turned to Starlet in some bewildered shock.

"What happened?" She immediately asked.

Leviathan didn't answer right away. He did know what had to have happened. He saw that sickening white face right before the sting. Now…he hoped and prayed that what had happened would come to nothing…

* * *

Wyvern continued to cry out, though his voice sounded more like an angry roar to all of the observers. He threw himself forward and back in midair, thrashing his wings about madly. Now, he was fully enraged, and fully in pain. He clutched desperately at his head with his talons. If he hadn't his stronger helm, he would have dug his nails into his own flesh. But he continued to madly thrash, snapping and fuming and foaming everywhere. He writhed and twisted, lashing out his tail at things wildly. He spat out energy attacks indiscriminately, blasting away at random locations beneath him. But through it all, Kuja continued to stare at him wickedly, glaring at him with darkness and a malicious calm smile across his face.

It seemed to last an eternity. But at last, Wyvern stopped. Giving out one powerful roar, he threw his limbs out and seemed to end it. Immediately, he slumped in midair. Only his own Auto-aero ability kept him flying. His wings fell to his sides. Covered with sweat, tired from the agony of his brain, he hung loosely and breathed hard and deep. He struggled to regain his composure for a few moments. His head stayed bowed, and he showed no other signs of life or activity.

However…if one had the ability to sense true power…such as the espers back in Terratopolis, they would have seen that despite all of the agony and thrashing around, Wyvern had gotten no weaker. On the contrary…his power now began to shoot up dramatically. Within no time at all, Kuja became a mere mite compared to him. Both he and his dragon could be easily overtaken. But it continued to grow, all the way until Wyvern was now doubled in power. What more…the power was full of evil. Rage, anger, hate, and aggression filled it…more insidious, base, and violent than Wyvern himself was capable of. A single minded force drove it…the will to destroy and kill. Nothing more. And now, that power flooded through Wyvern as adrenaline floods a system in fight-or-flight. Yet Wyvern didn't show it. He merely kept his head bowed…and didn't move. He just gained control of himself while hovering.

Yet in the end, Kuja's own fair smile grew wider, and he leaned back slightly on his silver dragon.

"Now…'Bahamut', or whatever you wish to call yourself…destroy Brahne's navy. Kill them all."

In response, Wyvern's head snapped up. His wings unfurled, and immediately stretched to their full length. If one could see his eyes…they would see that they now burned a far brighter blood red than they had before. He slowly grinned…showing off his teeth in a look of pure malice and delight toward death.

"Gladly." Wyvern darkly answered, before turning in midair and immediately diving on the fleet.

* * *

Leviathan could only helplessly gape, and breathe out a fateful statement in one quiet whisper.

"Oh God…"

* * *

The Alexandrian sailors, for a few precious moments, didn't know what was going on. They thought that Bahamut was merely spinning around and preparing for another attack. They didn't care that Kuja now calmly flew around, no longer attempting to dodge the great esper. But then…they saw Bahamut turn back around and begin to lower to them. That made them more suspicious. Was the Queen calling him to her? That line of thinking soon ended…as they heard the great esper bellow the sound of doom. But it wasn't directed to Kuja anymore. It rested solely on _them_. At that, the people began to tremble and shake. They looked to each other and back…but saw that the beast was still on them. He stretched his claws, opened his mouth, and they realized the truth a fateful moment before he struck…

Like a living projectile, Bahamut dove through the nearest ship. Not caring about anything in his way, he tore right through the metal with his monstrous claws and plowed a hole through the ship. The force bent the entire vessel inwards…and moments later thevessel erupted into flames as the powder room exploded. The sailors screamed, the ones that weren't dead, and jumped for their lives. The other ships forgot all about Kuja and stared in terror. Bahamut was attacking _them_. And now, they saw the twisted remains of one of their ships crumple and rapidly sink into flames and water. The nearest ship was filled with terror-stricken sailors for a moment…before their lives too were cut short. Abruptly, the same beast erupted from the middle of their ship. He had gone underwater and punched his way through from the bottom. Another ship blew up, and people screamed in misery and agony. As for Bahamut, he stretched over his carnage, unfurled his massive wings, and bellowed out a tremendous cry.

Moments later, however, he frowned and looked down to his body. He snorted at the sight. The few black mages that were left on the nearest ship were desperately trying to attack him, but their puny spells didn't so much as make the esper flinch. Roaring in anger, the esper dove for them. The black mages continued to fire, while the crew screamed and tried to run for it. But in an instant, Bahamut was in front of the ship. Immediately he halted…and then swept his massive tail out and lashed it across the deck. With one clean sweep, he raked the crew, black mages, cannons, and cabin into shreds and swept them off the vessel. That done, he swung his tail back around and down through the center of the ship, cutting the vessel in half and rupturing the powder room again, causing more flames to erupt and bathe the hellish beast in their glow.

The esper was only able to revel a moment, before more annoyances struck him. This time, he felt cannon fire in his back. Sneering, he turned and glared at the other ships. They were now targeting him with cannons, furiously trying to shoot him down. But their shots did little better than the black mages. Grinning, the beast abruptly took off and shot over the fleet. As he did, he twisted his head left and right, spewing Pyrins as he soared over them. Each one found its mark on the deck of the firing ships…and a massive eruption of fire and light silenced their attempts at resistance. Within a moment, towers of flame rising from the sea were all that was left of the attacking ships.

Bahamut grinned in delight and flew up over the navy next. He unfurled his wings again and let out a cry, letting all the mere mortals below know his power. He looked down and smiled further. There was that petty little queen…now quivering all over like a bowl full of jelly. So much for the ruler of the world…reduced to the miserable fat coward she truly was without her precious eidilons and black mages. She looked so insignificant from here…so pathetic… She seemed hardly worth the effort.

_Oh well…I'll live with it._

"Bahamut."

The esper paused at this, and turned for a moment to his left. He was just in time to see the feminine features of Kuja pass by him as he circled on his silver dragon.

"Enough wasting time. There will be plenty to sate your sadism later. For now…show them your true power. Here's a little thing to help…"

With that, Kuja held up a hand to the sky. Bahamut looked up as well and sneered a moment. But then, he quickly began to grin. As Kuja held up his hand…a magical power began to darken the area. The sun seemed to dim, and the sky turned from blue to gray to black in instants. Within moments, the entire area was bathed in darkness. Night had descended on the fleet and all of the poor souls below and on the surrounding area. Optimal conditions for the esper to produce his Omniapex…

Grinning anew, the beast turned his head back down to the fleet.

The survivors were scrambling for the lifeboats now. There was little chance of escape, however, and so they were panicking and stampeding each other. The black mages, powerless to save their master, merely stood there unmoving. Brahne herself gaped in terror…the foul woman who had delighted so much in the pain of millions now found herself helpless before the very forces of destruction she unleashed. And as they screamed and ran, Bahamut unfurled his wings. The sky grew darker around him, and an inner light burned within his stomach. Soon, a new light began to be generated around Bahamut, blazing and violet. He was filled with new power now, power far greater than what he had before. The light in his mouth began to streak rays out from it, and the monster let its deadly glare shine over the helpless people below as the sky thundered and the ocean began to shift and foam from its power…

Then…he fired.

A deadly blast of energy sizzled and burned, and sailed straight for the helpless people below. They were helpless to do anything save look in terror and vainly run before the massive attack struck the center of the fleet. On doing so, a massive explosion erupted. The very world itself seemed to shake and rattle as a great towering mountain of fire and energy blasted as high into the sky as the Iifa Tree itself. The central ships were immediately atomized. The surrounding ones were blown into nothingness as a series of shockwaves came from the eruption, digging a huge bowl shape into the ocean and scattering the surrounding vessels like dead leaves in a gale. The sound of Armaggedon itself roared out over the fleet as they were blown into fragments and then burned. The sky seemed to crack open, and the sounds of terror were drowned out before their sources were silenced by the horrible power of Bahamut.

As the flames subsided, a great towering mushroom cloud resulted. It stayed for hours, refusing to be disappated by the wind. The ocean was boiling from the heat of the Noc-Pyrin. The sky turned from dark to light again, but it no longer mattered. There was so much vapor in the air that it blotted out the sun. Salt water rain poured down as the vaporized ocean condensed and sank back to its source. The ocean raged and rocked, and the tsunamis produced by the eruption continued to shoot miles away. Other than that…only a few flaming pieces of wreckage slowly sank into the ocean. Most were in small fragments. All large pieces were gone. Within seconds, Bahamut had destroyed the entire fleet, and every living soul in it.

Kuja, heartless and wicked, felt no pity or remorse to what had happened. This was all just amusing to him, and he smiled on it fairly as he looked down from his mount. Already, he was planning on shattering more innocent lives. Yet for the time being, he merely was pleased at what had happened, and began to circle back up toward Bahamut. The esper was still hovering in midair, a bit strained from its powerful move, but recovering quickly.

"Splendid." The heartless man responded to Bahamut's power. He didn't look to the esper, but looked around and continued to address him. "There is a true display of true strength. Now, I have something else for you to do. There is a group of annoyances below that have been irritating me. Wipe them from the face of Gaia."

Kuja, however, was a bit surprised when he heard a cold retort.

"…No."

To that, the wizard turned and raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Those weaklings mean nothing to me." Bahamut hissed in response. "I desire things worth my consideration. I won't waste any of my newfound power destroying bugs."

Kuja glared back a moment. He didn't like this. Already, Bahamut was far more vocal than he had planned on. And yet, in the end, he supposed this was alright. They meant nothing to him yet, and they could still be made to serve him. Most of all…he wanted to see Zidane suffer more and much worse before he killed him. Vaporizing him was no fun. In fact…it would probably be far more satisfying to watch them stare back helplessly when Alexandria was burned into ashes. Their little group had already seen so much death… It would be a shame to not have them suffer as they watched infinitely more. Last but not least, he wanted to stay on this eidilon's good side for the time being. He was even mightier than him, especially now that he increased his power. He just might be what he needed to finish off his master…

"Very well." Kuja at last answered. "But what, pray tell, are things that you _do_ consider worthy of your 'consideration'?"

In response to that, Bahamut merely grinned again, flashing his dangerous appearance.

* * *

"No…no…"

Leviathan moaned this and grasped for his chest. Inside, he and the rest of the espers suddenly felt another crushing pain as thousands again were suddenly sent flooding into the Lifestream. Another ripple had come through it, causing every one from the great and small to react. The sea serpent stared out in absolute horror. He put a hand to his head and began to breathe deeply, his overwhelmed eyes glaring at the ground and breathing slowly. It couldn't be. Their worst possible situation… It had come to pass. And now, hundreds had died…and more would too soon…

He wasn't alone. The others that had been able to fix on this recoiled in horror. Starlet cupped her hands to her mouth and glared out at the window, as if she could see it right there. Ramuh stumbled and had to balance himself on his staff. The others couldn't see what they saw, but they too felt the ripple. And after they had felt it, they saw how the others were reacting. The room grew deathly still and cold. Everyone could sense the magnitude of the evil that had just transpired, even if they didn't know its nature…

"…What happened?" Ifrit finally asked, breaking the silence.

Leviathan was too stunned to answer. Starlet continued to cover her mouth in dread. Ramuh looked ready to have a heart attack. But somehow, he looked up and turned back to the fire esper. "I don't know how it happened… I don't know how he could have forced our king to be so violent…or overrun his mental superiority… But…Kuja has seized control of Lord Bahamut."

The remaining members had their eyes widen in response. They were shocked and stepped back.

"That's…impossible…" Palidor slowly stated. "How could he possibly do that to Bahamut?"

"Because he's not Bahamut."

Leviathan was snapped out of his dark thoughts at that, and looked up in surprise. Soon…he found himself staring right at his wife. The others, likewise surprised at that sudden comment, looked up and to her. Starlet was crying now, but she clenched her jaw and stood firm, looking over the others. She turned to Leviathan for a moment. The sea serpent stared anxiously back at her, but she was irresolute.

"…Leviathan, if he's going to do such terrible things, the least I can do is make sure he isn't using his name…bringing dishonor on his memory…" She retorted. In fact, she had taken enough. This was it. The time for lies and secrets was over. Now, she turned back to the others, and Leviathan was too stunned with shock to stop her.

"…That thing…that monster out there…is Wyvern." She stated, bolstering as much courage and cold emotion as she could. "He murdered Bahamut hundreds of years ago. What came back from the moon wasn't Bahamut at all. It was him. He only fooled people because he had Bahamut's magicite with him."

A far greater chill went through the room now. Palidor, Ramuh, and Ifrit all stared blankly. They may not have been as closely involved in what had happened, but they knew what this meant. They knew all about Wyvern and how he had tried to kill their rightful king and seize the throne years earlier. But after that…they had all thought that it had been over when "Bahamut" had returned. Now, a ripple of terror went through them as they realized the truth. They were wrong the whole time. For years…they were helping the enemy of all espers and not their true king… The foul creature that had murdered their leader…and they had been catering to him this entire time…

However, Ramuh, wise as he was, only paused a moment under this. Then his surprised faded. After that…he slowly sighed and shook his head. "…I should have known this centuries ago." He slowly murmured. "I should have guessed in light of recent events. I knew that I was feeling two different auras when I looked at him. I knew he looked a bit strange to solely be due to damage… And I knew there had to be a second meaning under what you were saying to each other during his repairs…and why he was so angry… The change in temperament alone should have made me more curious. I must be growing foolish in my old age…"

"That's what he meant by all that he said…" Ifrit uttered aloud. Even his limited intelligence was putting two and two together. "You guys were just pretending to believe him about being Bahamut?"

Leviathan slowly sighed. The truth was out at last. He had wanted it to be after the stone monolith was done…but now it appeared it no longer mattered. And so, he turned and looked up to him. "No…we knew. And he knew that we knew. We had seen him in his esper form. We knew exactly how he looked in his true body. We knew that he would try to combat us, perhaps kill us to make sure we didn't tell anyone else who he really was. So we did something…drastic." He paused here, not really wanting to say the next part…but in the end he went on.

"We bound him to Rydia and her offspring, in effect binding her to the line of summoners. I wanted to place a check on his power. So I made it so that he would be forced to always serve a summoner. But Rydia lacked the power to bind only him. So I used the power of other espers too…Odin, Atomos, and Shiva."

As Leviathan quietly finished, the truth hit those who didn't know in a flash. At once, it all made sense to them. It was a horrible thought at the same time, but now it was clear.

"…So that's why they were able to actually draw espers from Garnet…" Ramuh slowly spoke aloud, looking down as the revelation slowly came upon him. "They weren't drawing true espers…they were drawing the essence of the seals that were placed on her. That's why the Queen only summoned the espers that she did."

Ifrit turned in shock to Shiva, as if to confirm that it was true. The ice esper merely kept her head bowed and her eyes downcast. That was all the answer that he needed. That was why she had fallen victim to the Queen. The fire esper turned back to the others after that. In truth…he was a bit angry himself. He was furious that they had put Shiva in a position to be controlled. Palidor and Ramuh, however, knew better. It was far better that Wyvern be restrained. What more, it was far better that no one had known about it…lest some of Wyvern's old allies seek to find a way to free him from his bonds. However, that was no more at this point. Now, in the silence that followed…the horrible truth began to fall on them all. And it was far worse than simply Wyvern being among them It took only a moment or so longer before Palidor, swallowing, voiced in a trembling tone their sentence.

"Then…it's over. Wyvern's under their control now. Nothing we can do can free him… We're all doomed."

Leviathan raised his own head at that. His expression became very grim. At least, now, there was a chance to devote any and all effort to this.

"…No. We still have one thing left. I thought this day would come for over a thousand years. Now, it looks like we must all work together to get it completed as soon as physically possible. This is our last bulwark. Everyone…over at Alexandria, I-"

Leviathan, however, was cut off. The others weren't listening anymore anyway, because they sensed the same huge ripple of power that made the sound in Leviathan's throat choke. It was horrible. It was like some great inferno of evil, and suddenly it had dropped from the sky and had landed right in the middle of their mountain. As they went deathly silent…other espers outside began to scream in terror and flee. Others, like them, were mortified as they felt the terrible power and wickedness boiling over onto them. Leviathan and the others didn't even have to look out the window at this. They knew without even seeing the body pass by the window that the man of the hour had in fact come back, in record time with his new speed.

Wyvern was here.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	7. Sentencing

Within instants, they were outside. They had moved silently. Indeed, no one was making a noise anymore. Everyone who hadn't run in terror from the feelings of evil on the courtyard was now frozen with it, staring emptily up at the newest arrivals. Leviathan and his entourage now emptied out from a tunnel onto the field.He had returned to his true form. Now, the great blue serpent of the sea lashed out his finned coils and glared at the sight before him. His long body was stretched in the shape of a guard around the others near him. But inside…he already knew he was nothing compared to what he now faced. In fact, he too was struggling not to match their looks of fear and shock as they stared at the horrors before them.

Apparently, Wyvern had not come alone.

Now, descending silently into the field, the great red esper grinned as he slowly touched down. But slightly behind him, to one side, was none other than Odin. His eyes still blazed red and he was expressionless and cold, but he too went down. Finally…monstrous in size…slowly blotting out the sun…the mountain-sized Atomos hovered over the whole of Terratopolis, gazing down with his cavernous mouth threatening to engulf the mountain in the same way he engulfed Lindbulm. For now, the two other arrivals halted. But Wyvern continued to grin as his feet lightly touched. After doing so, he looked forward and focused his sensors totally on Leviathan.

"A welcoming committee. How nice…" He slowly cooed.

Leviathan stiffened for a moment. No one else dared move. They didn't know what to do. They didn't know how to react. Their powers were far too great for them. No one could do anything against these horrors except stare at them. The sea esper swallowed a moment longer. He had to do something. If he didn't…they would kill them all. He couldn't possibly fight them, but there had to be something he could do. And he had to do it before they made the first move. Finally…he began to make a mental call out to Wyvern. He had no idea how much good it would do, but he had to risk it. Hopefully, Wyvern's mind had at least held out to some degree. If he didn't…they were all dead.

_Wyvern…can you hear me in there…?_

As if in response to this, however, Wyvern suddenly blurted out a chorus of laughter. It was dark and insidious…void of any warmth of joy. It filled the surrounding espers with more terror as they stared on. Leviathan thought his one attempt to try and do something to stop the monster had failed. However…he was wrong. Matters were far worse than he thought.

"Can I hear him in here, he says…" Wyvern answered with a dark chuckle. "Heh…obviously you don't know as much as you think you know, Leviathan."

The sea serpent said nothing and showed nothing. And yet…already he was beginning to pick up on a difference here. Until now, he had assumed this Kuja had sent his newfound muscle here to kill them all. But now that he was here…he realized he might be mistaken. Wyvern wasn't acting emotionless like the others. And he was actually talking to them… What did this mean?

There was silence for a moment or so longer. Wyvern looked over the crowd menacingly, but did nothing. No one dared make any sudden moves, fearful that it would incite a counterattack. After a few minutes of silence, Wyvern gave a shrug. "What's this? No words of welcome? No celebrations for the king?" He asked as he looked around the area. "You all look a little strange… A little…frightened even. Why, whatever are you frightened of?"

There was a pause after that. No one said a word in the silence.

Finally, Wyvern gestured above him. "What? You're not all nervous on account of some of my friends around here, are you?" He menacingly asked. At any rate, silence was the only thing that answered him. He continued to grin for a few moments more, and then finally gave a shrug. "Well, if that's the case, you should have said so earlier. Here you go."

And with that, Wyvern did something so unexpected it made the otherwise stoic Leviathan gasp aloud.

He craned his head to the sky, focused for a matter of seconds…and then fired off a Mega-Pyron straight at Atomos.

The other espers likewise gaped and expressed other signs of shockas their world darkened, cast into shadow from the light that came forth from the blazing Mega-Pyron. It burned with enough destructive power to easily destroy any large city on Gaia. But now, the massive deadly missile had been fired right on one of Wyvern's fellow slaves. The giant esper didn't even react. He was powerless to. He merely continued to hover as the giant blast headed straight for him…and on touching him erupted into a massive explosion. Immediately, a huge blast of fire and light ignited over the surface of Terratopolis, making it seem as if the mountain was indeed a volcano that was now erupting for the first time in eons. All espers great and small were forced to look away or be blinded by the searing bright light.

An ear splitting roar shook the sky, cracking rocks and shattering glass all over Terratopolis. Espers cringed and covered their ears in pain from it. The sky seemed to growl as the air rushed back in on itself. Yet after a few moments, the explosion was gone and faded. It left only the telltale pillar of smoke in its wake. The light died, and when it did the espers slowly ceased cringing and began to look up again to see the extent of the damage. It was much as could be expected from the magnitude of that attack…

To the horror of the younger espers…the ashy remnants of Atomos now slowly fluttered down to the ground, raining like snow flurries over the courtyard.

Most espers turned pale. They glared at Wyvern in a mixture of fear and confusion. Leviathan himself was among them. What had he just done? He had killed Atomos… He had totally destroyed him. Why? Weren't they on the same side? Weren't they forced to serve the same master? But the only answer he received in response to this was a surge in evil from Wyvern, feeling his wickedness increase as he grinned wider and snickered darkly at his own handiwork.

"That's a bit better. At least I can hear you breathe and moan now…"

At this, Leviathan couldn't take it any longer. He had no idea what the meaning of this was, but he knew for certain that he'd never find out if he just stood there. Besides…Atomos might have been under control, and he might not have been the most admired of espers, but he was an esper. He had kept their secret for generations.

And he had just been brutally murdered.

"What are you doing?"

Wyvern merely shrugged in response. "Just clearing the air, Leviathan. Just doing what you wanted, after all. Didn't you want Atomos stopped? Oh…and as I recall…" On saying this, he slowly turned over to his side. Standing their motionless still, not reacting at all…was Odin. On seeing that, the sea serpent suddenly tensed up. "You wanted him stopped as well. So tell me…anything you ever wanted to get off your chest to Odin before he dies?"

Leviathan felt his blood run cold. The others likewise froze in terror. He couldn't… Immediately, he turned his head to Odin. Blasting as hard as he could, Leviathan shot a futile mental message at him to snap out of it and do something. But it was hopeless. Odin could hear nothing. The block in his mind didn't even shift. The others could only helplessly watch, knowing what he was going to do next. Starlet, having long since finally moved past her anger with Odin from centuries earlier, reached out a hand and cried out to him.

"Wyvern! Don't!"

But it was too late.

Grinning wickedly, Wyvern snapped his head around and fired a point-blank breath attack straight at Odin's chest.

The warrior esper was powerless to react. Suddenly, he was ripped off of his feet as a massive fiery shot blasted into his torso and shot straight through.A rod of flame carried Odin onward through the air and across the courtyard, until the power threw him into one of the walls and smashed him against it violently. The nearby espers screamed in fear and scattered. The others were mortified. Leviathan's jaw dropped, and he was powerless to do anything but stare. He couldn't believe it. It wasn't possible. Odin was so strong and mighty… He had been one of the oldest espers and a trusted ally for years. But now…in just one moment…the great and powerful esper had been violently taken away. He couldn't believe it to be true. It had to be a dream. And yet…he watched and saw the burning hot attack die down. When it did, it leave a sizzling, red-hot hole perfectly burned into Odin's armor. There was nothing on the other side but empty space. For a moment, his body was still frozen against the wall, paralyzed in its last expression of agony.

But then…Leviathan felt Odin's spirit slip off from the armor he had possessed for so long. The lights in his skull helmet slowly grew dim, as the armor began to limp and fall. As Leviathan sensed his brother return to the Lifestream, the whole suit fell off and collapsed into a heap of useless scrap against the ground. Leviathan's entourage gasped. Ramuh dropped his own staff in shock, and Starlet's pupils shrank. Odin…the great warrior esper…he was dead. Just like that…one of the most powerful among them was dead. One of the oldest and greatest of all espers…gone. It didn't seem real. It seemed like some sort of nightmare…

Leviathan was speechless. He stared a moment longer, but then turned back to the grinning wicked esper. "…Why? Weren't you both serving the same master?"

"Perhaps." Wyvern calmly answered in reply. "But the truth of the matter is…I never liked him. Always thought he was so much stronger than me. And I owed him for that beating from earlier."

Leviathan snapped back at that. He hadn't expected that. He expected some sort of method to this madness…some sort of order given from Kuja. But this? It was just his own selfish ambition? What was going on? Wasn't Wyvern supposed to be under Kuja's control? He had to be…because Leviathan couldn't see any other way he could have done that to Odin. He wouldn't have been allowed to due to the spell. However…that suddenly struck Leviathan with a terrifying thought. If Wyvern had just killed Atomos and Odin so easily…then that meant…

Before Leviathan could reach the horrifying conclusion any quicker, however, he recoiled in terror again. Wyvern, in a flash, was standing right before him. The sea esper cried out in fear. He hadn't even seen the man move…

"Ah, little Leviathan…" He sneered over his body. The sea serpent, in response, cringed back from him, shocked at his sudden arrival. After a moment, however, he tried to look a bit stronger. But he couldn't hide his sweat or his panicked expression. The others went white and stared helplessly as the great red esper glared over him. "If it isn't the clever little esper who managed to trick me so many years ago… You never were good at straight fighting, were you? You always had to rely on your little tricks. Well…at any rate, that's all in the past now. Now…there is indisputably one esper king. But don't take my word for it. See for yourself."

With that, Wyvern suddenly shot up a talon to Leviathan's head. The sea serpent could have tried to run, but it was useless. With his new powers, he moved far too fast to be countered or avoided. Before he could do anything else, the beast had his head in one scaly palm. Starlet moved to advance at that, but the others stopped her before she did something stupid. Secretly, Leviathan was glad…even as his pale, sweating flesh trembled in Wyvern's grasp. He thought it was over… However, the esper didn't crush. Instead, he simply extended the same talon and lightly touched Leviathan's brow. He did so for a brief moment…before driving it sharply in. Immediately, Leviathan's scales and flesh were pierced, and blood began to run off of his forehead. The sea serpent gave a cry of pain and writhed in response. As for Wyvern, he relished this. He grinned ravenously as he watched Leviathan struggle. But after that was done…he simply pulled his claw off again and stepped back. Leviathan hissed and relaxed a bit, sliding his body away from the monster. As for Wyvern, he casually raised his bloody talon to his mouth and licked it.

"As you can see, Leviathan, there's no longer any barrier between the two of us." Wyvern calmly answered as he let his tongue run along the claw. "You probably already guessed it by now anyway, what with how easily I did in Odin and Atomos. At long last, I'm finally free."

Leviathan panted a moment. His head throbbed, and blood continued to pour off of it. But he was calming down. No one else dared say a word or make a move. Starlet might have tried to aid Leviathan, but the others wouldn't let her. After a moment, however, he raised one of his coils to wipe off his brow.

"…Free?" He finally asked the red esper. "Is that what you call enacting a genocide on thousands? Killing your own sibling? Becoming the tool of Kuja?"

To this, Wyvern merely snorted. "Kuja again." He disdainfully responded. "Is that the limit to your vision? I thought you were supposed to be smart." He crossed his arms confidently at that and grinned wider. "Do you honestly think I would have let something so stupid happen to me? Do you think that the miserable little excuse of a wizard could ever bow _me_ to his will? Did you think I was so weak and pathetic that I would go the course of the fools like Odin and Atomos? I am the strongest of all espers. No one tells me what to do."

Leviathan's eyes widened a bit at that. The others were much the same. At first, Leviathan just thought it was idle boasting. But he realized that he could be telling the truth. After all, why else wasn't he like the other espers? Why did he have so much control? But he was still filled with evil…more so than before.

"…But…that doesn't make sense." Leviathan finally announced, his face bewildered. "I heard it all. I saw it all. He went into your mind. And after he went out, you did as he told you. You destroyed that whole fleet. You let him help you. Yet you're still talking to me like this… You're still so freely speaking and acting against him… That doesn't make sense, unless you…"

Then, at once, it hit Leviathan.

His blood once more turned to ice water in his veins. His eyes filled with despair and darkness. He glared at the smiling, confident body of the monster before him, staring in overwhelmed shock. It couldn't be true… He refused to believe it…even as he realized it made perfect sense. That was too much for Leviathan. At once, his passion died, and he nearly slumped. He continued to stare at him, but he said nothing else. He just stared blankly as the horrible truth came to him.

"Wyvern…" He spoke quietly, almost whispering. "…Please don't tell me you joined him willingly…"

The wide grin on Wyvern's face, however, was all he needed to know. Immediately, he felt his heart sink inside him and his mind will with dread.

"Oh, he did go into my mind, Leviathan." Wyvern darkly answered. "But he didn't go on a hostile takeover. He merely negotiated terms to a rather good proposition. You see…he knew that I was doomed to be your slave, so he offered to grant me the power to break free from that obligation if I agreed to become his servant. Perhaps it isn't the world's greatest job…" He paused a moment, only long enough to unfurl his wings and force out his strength once again. "…But the fringe benefits are nice."

Leviathan's shock suddenly vanished. Instead, he flew into a rage, and lashed back at the esper. "You fool… Why did you do that? How could you do that? I thought you hated being under control! Yet you just turn around and submit to this monster?"

This, however, only made Wyvern laugh even harder. His voice was evil and malicious, as well as full of pride. Leviathan glared at him furiously as he did, but after a moment the red esper cut back.

"Submit? Ha!" He sneered back. "I just needed him to break me free from you, and to give me this power. Now that I have it, I can clearly establish myself as King of the Espers. So long as we're both getting what we want, who cares? Besides…there is still one thing I want that he can help me get…"

Leviathan hesitated at that. Another wave of anxiety rippled through him. He was too menacing about this… "…What thing?"

But to this, Wyvern only grinned wider. An even greater maliciousness and violence burned throughout his aura, making Leviathan tremble anew and shrink back from him. When he spoke, his voice was full of violence and inner rage.

"Oh, come now, Leviathan… Surely, you've had to want this too." He cooed in answer. "All of our kind must have wanted this secretly. I know I have. Because, unlike you, I strive to be free of fear. Therefore, I get rid of what makes me afraid. And I will confess that I did have some fear as of late, unbelievable as it may seem. Actually, I suppose I've had it for a while. You're only dealing with it for the first time now, but now that you are you have to want to be rid of it just as much as I do.

"Our race is beset with a new fear, Leviathan. A fear that we could become the playthings of humans. A fear that we could be degenerated into simple weapons. I'm surprised you didn't realize this threat centuries ago. Don't you know what sort of threat a summoner represents to us? One that could make us bow to their power and be at their beck and call like common dogs? I recognized this threat years ago. But not you." Here, Wyvern's face grew dark as his eyes narrowed, and his tone turned vicious. "Oh no…you and your stupid intelligencia thought it was a good thing. You only saw the chance to service your little 'pets' as being a great asset, not realizing the blatancy of it all. Not realizing that you were losing the position of god and becoming the servant. Frankly, I thought you would have fought against it. I know even my traitorous brother would have. If it hadn't been for some foolish mercy on his part, he never would have had to bear the insult of it all. But you have. You fools…you willingly went under their yoke. You used them as the middleman to try and control powers too great for you. The arrogance and stupidity of it all… It makes me want to puke."

Wyvern paused a moment after that, seething and letting that last phrase practically get spat out. But after that, he grinned again. "But that's all over now… Now that I am here. Now that I have found an ally that can help me. And again, we'll both get what we want out of this deal."

Leviathan didn't have to listen to this for long to get what Wyvern was saying. He already knew even if he didn't know Wyvern's own sinister desires. What had been going on until now made it more than obvious. Immediately…he felt his own fear redoubled.

"No…you can't."

Wyvern merely grinned in response. "There's only one kingdom left to smash, Leviathan. The very kingdom that started this whole mess. It's poetic justice when you think about it. You know. Aren't you a fan of poetic justice? Odin managed to turn Cleyra into splinters with one hit. How much damage do you think I can do when I arrive in Alexandria?"

"You'll kill thousands of innocent people!" Leviathan shot back in horror. "I can't let you!"

To this…Wyvern merely changed to a smile. As he did, he crossed his arms in front of himself and drew up his height. He began to exude more of his power…causing Leviathan to tremble. His own bravery began to break as he felt the horrible power begin to flare up of Wyvern once again.

"And just what are you going to do about it?" He coolly sneered in response.

Leviathan swallowed a moment. Force was definitely not an option anymore. If he had killed Odin so easily, then he had no chance. None of them did, even if all the espers in the world united against him. The amount of power he had now was horrific. He had to change his tactics. He had to do something. Even if he would spare the espers, he feared greatly what his vented wrath would do to the rest of Gaia if it was left unchecked. He and his cruel master had to be stopped somehow.

"You've already killed their leaders and military." Leviathan went on. "All that's left are humble citizens who've done nothing to you. The last two summoners are allied with us. There's no need for you to attack them. Alexandria is full of families and children, Wyvern. Helpless people who just want to live in peace. You once wanted to help people live in peace too, remember? Don't you remember Palad and his people?"

However, Leviathan's attempts to appeal to the last shreds of Wyvern's mercy were totally wasted. To his chagrin, Wyvern merely spat the words back in his face with another bout of hideous laughter. It was cold and uncaring, without the slightest shred of decency or mercy left. The evil within him flared. Until now…Leviathan could see no love in Wyvern's heart. But now…he began to realize that it wasn't blocked out. It simply wasn't there.

"Palad, his family, and all the rest of humanity were just sheep for the slaughter." Wyvern coldly snorted. "They were utterly helpless and hopeless. We made them who they are. _I_ made them who they are. And now that they've gotten cocky, they've turned their backs on their masters. On their _gods_. They made amusing little pets for a while. But now that they're becoming a dangerous nuisance, it's time to be done with them. I'm not interested in having slaves like Crusader. I just want them gone. I know if I just let them do whatever they'll cause problems in the future. But before they die, they'll remember who their true leader and god is…"

Leviathan was frozen in wide-eyed shock. Madness as well as rage had taken Wyvern. He was rewriting history to satisfy his own delusions. And his hate…his horrible hate he felt for humans… Leviathan had never sensed anything like it. Was he that heartless and merciless?

"This can't be you, Wyvern…" Leviathan protested, almost pleading. "You once struggled to become strong enough to save the humans…to deliver them from evil…"

Again, Leviathan winced as he heard heartless laughter thrown back in his face.

"Heh, maybe that's what I told myself at the time, but now I'm in touch with what I really wanted." Wyvern grinned in response. "The truth is…I only wanted to show up Griever and the Four Fiends. I wanted them to know that I was by far the strongest being on the Planet. As far as the humans were concerned…I wouldn't have minded it so much if they would have simply switched to worshipping me. The little sheep needed to be tended to and led anyway. At any rate, I _am_ by far the strongest being in existence now. And I intend to show the world that. I'm going to form a new kingdom on this world…one in which the humans will return to their place in the dust and they'll know our own place…as their rulers."

Leviathan stated horrified at Wyvern a moment longer. His madness was growing. Perhaps he had barely been holding it back before, but now Kuja warped him to become something truly abominable. He didn't know what to say. This nightmare grew worse all the time. At last, he could only say one thing that was truly obvious…

"…You're insane."

Wyvern simply shrugged. "Say whatever you like. If you disagree with my thinking, you're welcome to try and stop me. That'll make my job a bit quicker. You see, Leviathan…I'm going to be cleaning house after I've returned the humans to the dark ages. It was your stupid wife that taught Bahamut that attack to fight back against me. And you were the one who made that seal. So rest assured…I do plan to kill the both of you. As well as anyone else who bears any other thought toward me besides obedience and worship."

Leviathan's blue scales turned whiter. Starlet recoiled a bit in fear. In another moment, she might have drawn a blade or used her Ashura transformation. The others likewise shrunk back. Ifrit and Shiva themselves vainly prepared their bodies for a fight…thought Wyvern could kill them both without even trying at his new level of power. They were all dead, Leviathan realized. There was nothing they could do to stop Wyvern now.

"However, I'll let you all live in fear a bit longer." Wyvern sneered in continuation. "With my new power, I can take anything you can throw at me. So I want you to draw your feeble little plans against me and see if you can do anything to stop me. I'll enjoy breaking them into dust and then ripping your throats out. But for now…I'll content myself with humanity. But don't worry, I won't be striking just yet." Here, he grinned a bit wider. "After all…I'm sure those two little summoners will be headed back there with the fatass dead. Once they do…I'll rid this world of those mutated freaks as well in one stroke. So until then…adieu."

Without another word, Wyvern beat his giant wings one powerful time. The strength of the stroke made him take off into a shot, and his body soared into the air. The blast of air was so strong that surrounding espers were forced to shield themselves and recoil. Leviathan winced himself for a moment, but then looked up and watched as he went into the air. Already, his new power was sending him skyward, through the opening at the top of their world and soon sailing out into the sky. The other espers, still cringing and nervous, slowly looked up from their own timid positions. But he did not attack or rain down death on them…although his fully powered attack could destroy both the mountain and all of the people in it at this point. Instead, he merely banked in the air and took off at full speed.

The espers were left alone in their dwelling. All were silent. They turned and looked to each other in fear, none of them knowing what to say or do now. Terror still gripped them, and all of them were filled with confusion and fear. Most of them had heard what had transpired, but none of them knew what this meant. Was it Bahamut? Was it Wyvern? And what did this mean for their future now? Were they all in mortal danger?

Leviathan himself bowed his head and stared blankly. The espers behind him looked to each other in terror and trembled in fear. Leviathan had to struggle not to do the same himself. The apoplectic shock, luckily, managed to keep him from breaking down for now. He couldn't believe it. He looked ahead to the soulless armor that lay against the ground, and was speechless. Another of his brothers were dead. Odin may have not always been the kindest person…but he was a great and noble warrior, and he had changed greatly from his youth. And he had been a trusted ally during his reign. He had also been the strongest among them all after Bahamut and Wyvern were gone. But now…he was dead. Wyvern had mercilessly killed him. There was no way to transfer his soul into another object this time. He had already returned to the Lifestream. Odin's millennia stay of execution had been broken.

Wyvern again… He stole his twin brother from him… He killed Bahamut… And now Odin was gone as well because of him. The madman had brought centuries of pain and fear to the esper race…and now he was worse. He was brimming with evil now. Any goodness left in him was now suppressed under Kuja's power, and as he fueled Wyvern's own evil the foul esper allowed himself to be dominated and controlled by it, letting it twist him and warp him into a demon so long as he received power in exchange. He was psychotic. He was growing mad…just as Crusader had gone mad with her own power so long ago. Strong as he was, he had already shifted his focus from destroying his enemies to destroying anyone that would be a threat. He was going to throw humanity back into the dark ages. However…Leviathan knew he wouldn't stop there. Assuming his own wickedness hadn't already brought him to the point where he thought of humans as playthings, he'd kill them anyway just to show his superiority. And then he'd start killing the espers as well… He would not stop until he felt that everything around him quivered before his power. He was a crazy egomaniac…and he had to be stopped.

Yet now, Leviathan gave a pause. He looked up and around him, and began to see the other espers slowly recovering. The evil aura had faded for now, and they were free to move about without fear of Wyvern approaching. However, they were timid and fearful, and Leviathan could seeit on their faces. He swallowed as he saw this. The truth was finally out. They knew. Even if they didn't, they had to suspect the truth by now. They'd demand an explanation. They'd want to know what Leviathan had meant in that exchange. Leviathan feared this even more. He would finally have to tell them, of course. He couldn't cover this up anymore if he wanted to have any loyal espers left at all. But he would drive others away by doing so. Leviathan knew full well that there were disloyal and cowardly espers among them. They would only become worse after having been subjected to the new power of Wyvern. They would believe it would be better to live as Wyvern's slave than die as his enemy. They would see his new power as a source of comfort and strength. Any of their own separate hates for humanity would be evoked, and their flames would be fed by Wyvern's own rebellion. Everything could fall apart very soon… There could even be an esper civil war. Then…there was the fact that humanity now knew the strength of espers…

There was only one hope. Leviathan supposed there had only been one hope for some time, but now it was undeniable. The stone monolith had to be finished. The Crystal Stone had to be used. It was their only hope for survival. It was the only thing left that could stop both Wyvern and Kuja. This was no longer a contingency. Now…their very lives depended on it.

Inhaling deeply, Leviathan turned around to the others. They looked to him, though they too were still cringing and nervous. They had to work out a plan now. Every decision they made for the next four days would mean life or death for Gaia.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	8. Race Against Time

"I won't be coming back until this crisis is over."

"Who's supposed to maintain leadership while you're gone?"

"I've already delegated responsibility to Tritoch. He's stronger than most other espers. If things get out of hand, he can put them down."

Starlet sighed and rolled her eyes. She didn't like this. She was still too emotionally distraught from yesterday. But now, with the new multitude of problems that were rushing in on them, she had more things to worry about. "I just don't see why you can't stay here. We need you to maintain some order."

Leviathan sighed as well as he continued to shove a few essentials from his work studio into a bag. "Don't start on this again, Starlet…"

"Already, some of the people who supposedly 'swore' allegiance to Bahamut after that incident are rallying again." Starlet continued. "They're keeping quiet for now, but if you leave there's nothing to stop them from going public. Then we could all be going into a civil war before Wyvern comes back to finish off the survivors."

Leviathan continued to pack, but shook his head. "No…what would really cause a civil war right nowwould be if I gave them a reason to get violent. I want these people to realize that if they side with Wyvern they'll eventually be signing their own death warrants. He is too unstable for anyone to follow him. And since even if they listened to reason it wouldn't be enough to stop him, this is the only way."

Starlet crossed her arms and began to pout. She silently watched as Leviathan continued to take diagrams off of his shelves, roll them up, and shove them into the pack. She shook her head after a moment, and then continued. "You know…I'm not too happy about your big idea either. I don't like the thought of turning over rule to some amalgamation of spirit energy that could be anything for all I know."

Leviathan, not looking up, responded. "Would you prefer to turn rule over to Wyvern?"

"No, but-"

"Then we have no choice." Leviathan flatly stated. "The only thing that can beat him now is this new esper. Besides, I can guarantee it will be totally altruistic. If we did eventually decide it was for the best that it not be around, it would step down itself."

"I don't care!" Starlet retorted immediately. "This isn't something with a real soul! This isn't another living thing! It's some…machine! You can't trust something like that! And I know that I'm not alone in this. No one is going to be ok with it. Not espers that are on his side or ours."

Leviathan paused and frowned a moment. Actually, he believed Starlet about that. It was likely that no one would favor turning over rule to this thing. He wasn't sure he liked it either. This entire project would never have passed the realm of fantasy if it hadn't been for the fact that Wyvern returned and necessitated it. Yet as he thought before, they did have no choice. This was their last gamble. The world was quickly losing whatever order it had left. When Wyvern attacked Alexandria, the last of the major races on Gaia would be thrown into chaos. Then there would be nothing to stop whatever sinister plan this Kuja had in mind for the world.

It was tempting to stay here. Goodness knew how much chaos would happen here while he was gone, or if open war between espers would break out over this latest change of events. But Leviathan knew that he was better placed at the stone monolith. He was the only one who truly knew its design. If he could have it completed quicker, so much the better. There was no telling how long Alexandria had, although the sea serpent had theories. At any rate, if it wasn't ready by the time Wyvern got there, there wouldn't be a stone monolith left for Leviathan to activate.

At last, he was packed. After doing so, Leviathan hoisted up his pack and put it over his shoulder, now that he had temporarily returned to human form. He turned around to Starlet afterward. His wife was still disagreeable, and looked like she thought this was a bad idea all around. The esper sighed in response. But after a pause, he slowly began to walk up to her. Once he was in front, he stopped and spoke more quietly.

"…This really is our only hope, Starlet. Whether we like it or not. We can sort out everything after. Right now…we have to beat Wyvern and Kuja. You know this."

Starlet didn't answer, and kept her head turned away from Leviathan. The sea serpent frowned again and bowed his head. After a moment or so longer, however, he sighed and looked up again, and turned to the window for a moment.

"…I won't be there until about this time tomorrow. I'm changing into a lower power form in case Wyvern is keeping an eye out for me. The last thing we need is himseeing a lot of espers gathered there. Palidor will keep sending reports."

Starlet still said nothing. Leviathan turned back to her and swallowed. Yet after a moment longer, Starlet turned back to Leviathan. Her anger vanished…and instead was replaced with the trouble and sadness that she had within her. After a momentary pause, she slowly exhaled again, and extended her arms to him. Slowly she rested them on his shoulders and looked into his own eyes.

"…Just take care of yourself…and come back to me."

Leviathan stared back at her, taking in this sudden softening. Slowly, he nodded in reply. "I'll come back here alive. I promise."

The two looked at each other a moment longer. Then, both filling with trouble and dread, they leaned forward and embraced more tightly. They exchanged kisses as well. Inside, both of them began to feel fear. They could sense it on each other now. Despite the arguments and what was going on, they were in real danger of being separated from one another. Both of them knew that Wyvern could easily kill the other in seconds, after what had happened to Odin. There was a chance, should anything happen on either end, that they wouldn't be seeing each other again. It was a frightful possibility they didn't dare indulge for now, but it was there.

At last, the two parted again. They looked at each other only a moment longer. Then, Leviathan turned and began to make his way past Starlet and out of his room, so that he could go outside and transform. As for Starlet, she was left to blankly stare at the now empty interior of the room, and brood about all that could happen to them both within the next few days.

* * *

The trip that Leviathan proposed did indeed take a long time. His estimation in how long it would take was correct, but he had underestimated now tedious it would be and how much physical strength it would take. Birds were capable of flight and high speeds, but they didn't have nearly so much energy reserves as espers. In that tiny body, Leviathan found himself exhausting to the point of starvation time and time again, although his true esper side made him capable of enduring much longer lengths of exertion than a typical bird. Still, it was hard work to go that far, and he hated how slow he was going, especially when he was crossing areas like bodies of water that had no place to rest on them, or was in a wide open area. For the latter, he feared continuously that Wyvern would suddenly appear and strike without warning. The world wasn't safe anymore, and even in disguise he was not totally out of danger. After night passed and the next day came, it was a welcome sight when he finally saw Alexandria in the distance.

With the mist gone, Leviathan saw it much closer than he expected. However, it still took some time to get there. Even at full speed, his bird body was nothing compared to his esper form. He took the chance to gaze over the great pillar of stone, supporting Alexandria Castle on top of it. Even now…he could already make out the design beneath that was just waiting to come out. A wave of anxiety went over him. They were really going to do it. After centuries of work, this thing would finally become a reality. He thought again of the fears that had presented themselves to Starlet before…and he mulled over them a moment. The truth was…the espers hadn't had much good fortune where luck was concerned for quite some time. If luck failed them now, then they would be in deep trouble. Wyvern was strong…but if somehow this thing became evil than there wasn't a force in the universe that Leviathan knew of that could do it in. And yet…he couldn't afford to worry about that now.

Finally, he had descended into the forest surrounding Alexandria. On a practiced path, his bird body whizzed through the canopy and trees until it was overshadowed by the might of the stone monolith. There was one good thing. He didn't have to bother transforming today. He merely made a beeline straight for the opening in the side of the mountain. A guard was still there, but he didn't care. He continued to fly onward to the door beyond. Solid and formidable as it was, there was a small warp in the top and the bottom. This was for emergencies when espers had to get in quickly. It was small matter for him to fly to the top and squeeze his tiny body through the opening. The guard looked up once, but then, of course, dismissed it as nothing more than a swallow going to some nest it had in the ceiling within. Soon, Leviathan was safely on the other side.

The esper immediately dove to the ground and transformed. His feathers were shed, his body swelled and enlarged, his limbs broadened, and he grew new clothing and hair. Soon, he was in human form again, and with the full sized pack. That was a rather ingenuious spell on his part. He had learned how to shrink objects he needed to take with him, and then expand them back to their normal size when the time was required. That was how he was able to carry his load with him from Terratopolis on the body of a mere swallow. Now having it, and back in his human form, Leviathan quickly made his way down the hall into the main interior.

Before arriving, Leviathan already heard more noise and labor than normal. That was due to his addedworkforce dispatched to the monolith, but also due to the urgency to get the massive structure operational by Leviathan's deadline. The sea serpent was glad to hear it, but for all his appreciation of the hard work he wished it was going faster. Soon he had come into the opening, and light spilled down on him. Again, he was in one of the inner chambers. The esper looked up and around at the facility, and saw the familiar sight of a score of espers rushing around through the vast pieces of machinery and clockwork, working furiously to make sure everything was operational and flawless.

However, they didn't work long. Until now, Leviathan had always signaled when he would be arriving for an inspection. This had not been announced. As the esper king made his way into the main chamber of the machinery, the other espers slowed and stopped their work, and then looked with puzzled stares down to the sea serpent. They seemed genuinely surprised to see him, and soon all of the work turned to silence although the gears within the stone monolith continued to move and chug. Leviathan himself looked up to them all, betraying no change in emotion, and merely stood there. Soon enough, he saw a space between rotating axles and large gears up on the third floor. A large cobra head poked out from it like an adder from its hole, and looked down in puzzlement at this new arrival.

"Lord Leviathan?" Terrato called down, sounding genuinely confused as to seeing him.

Leviathan inhaled once, and forced himself to be calm. The people here didn't know the truth, and he dared not let them know it. For now, to avoid the threat of insurrection that was brewing back in Terratopolis, he had to be normal. And so, he forced himself to smile. "Greetings, Terrato." He called back up to him. "Since I gave you all such a stringent deadline, I thought it might be best if the original architect, if I may so refer to myself, came to lend a hand."

Some of the espers blinked at that, but then returned to their own tasks. After all, Terrato was the head of labor. If there was a discussion to be made, it would be between him and whoever had arrived. Some of them were a bit more nervous, not expecting a sudden arrival of Leviathan, and thinking that he had come to make sure they weren't slacking off or had came to speed them along. However…Terrato merely continued to look down in puzzlement. After a moment, he pulled his head back through his precarious position, but only to change and look down over the edge.

"I wasn't expecting you, my lord. If I was, I would have given you a more proper greeting. We heard no word of your arrival. As it is, I've had my hands…" Terrato trailed off at that for a moment, then rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well…coils…full since I left the kingdom."

Leviathan licked his lips once, and then nodded. "Yes…and I can see you are doing a good job. However, I would like a word in private with you for a moment before I start getting my own hands dirty."

Terrato paused at that, and then looked a bit uneasy. "…I'm sort of in the middle of calibrating some of the finer gears at the moment, my lord. And though it's necessary it is very hard and precise work…"

Leviathan tried to stay as normal and carefree as possible…but at that moment his own blue eyes burned seriously, and pierced Terrato's gaze with such power that it made the earth esper stop.

"This…will only take a moment of your time, Terrato. And I think you want to hear it. It has to do with what we were discussing right before you left for Alexandria."

On hearing that, Terrato's own face froze. He stared back blankly at Leviathan, having lost his irritation or unease. The few espers that hadn't returned to work looked to him at that, and noticed the pause from the earth esper overhead. At any rate, the cobra didn't see them. He continued to stare right down at Leviathan, and felt the wave of seriousness and earnest be projected from his eyes into his own.

"…Everyone…" He said in a somewhat faraway tone, not looking away from Leviathan for a moment and only half caring whether or not other people heard. "I'll be out on the awning with Lord Leviathan for a few minutes. Continue without me."

* * *

In just a few minutes, both Terrato and Leviathan were back out on the overlook. When they both first walked out there, Leviathan couldn't help but pause for a few moments to take in what he was seeing. It was a great view now, without the mist to block the way. However, what truly struck him was that only a little while ago he had been here with Shiva. This was where the whole mess got started, back when he had been worried about Garnet. Now…the princess was the farthest thing on his mind. In truth, he supposed he could have been angry with her. This might have never happened if she had the self-confidence to stay away from Alexandria. But right now…he really didn't care. He wasn't one to hold a grudge. And being mad at Garnet wouldn't help them now. Like it or not, they still needed Garnet, especially if this was going to work.

Once they were both out and had distanced themselves from the hallway that provided a link back to the other espers, and both were sure they were private, Terrato turned to Leviathan. "…I take it what you meant by that comment in there was that I won't have to wait the full week in order to find out what has been going on."

Leviathan turned back to him. He was quiet a moment, but just to accent to Terrato the seriousness of what was going on. He glared at him sternly, and his expression was serious and unyielding. He was taking a commanding air on him once again, one that he rarely used. "…Yes, you are correct in thinking that." He flatly answered, making sure to keep his voice quiet as he did so. "However…as for what I am about to tell you, Terrato…I want you to know that for now it is for your ears only. None of your workers must know. If I tell you this…" He lowered his voice and became colder now. "…I will do so with the understanding that I have your trust. You will keep it to yourself and say nothing to anyone else…not until the stone monolith is complete. If I don't have it…then there is no reason for us to be out here because I will say no more. But you have to understand, Terrato…it is _vital_ that no one else knows this. Doing so can jeopardize everything that I am trying to do within the next few days."

Terrato darkly stared back for a moment in silence, showing no change in emotion. "…It is a very hard thing to tell a person something like this, before they know what they are about to hear." He answered after a moment. "You are essentially asking me to keep something quiet which, for all I know, I might want to be rather verbal about. If it was anyone else, my lord…I would be tired of this deception by now."

Leviathan silently stared back, showing nothing.

Terrato inhaled sharply, and after a pause went on. "…But because I trust you so much, sir, I will agree. I'll keep it to myself. Now, what is the trouble?"

Leviathan turned his head back out to the horizon and inhaled deeply once.

"…You remember when Lord Bahamut returned from the moon, correct?"

Terrato paused, but then nodded. "…Yes. We all do."

"What was the first thing you recall?"

Terrato hesitated again, and thought a moment. "I guess…how grotesque he looked from his battle…"

"No, you didn't." Leviathan flatly replied, without turning. "Think hard. Most people have forgotten it by now…or gotten used to it. What's the first thing you truly remember? Before you saw him. Before anyone saw him or fetched him."

Terrato hesitated again. He bowed his head and licked his own lips, and struggled to think for a few moments. After a bit of silence, he finally shook his head. "Well…I suppose the very first thing I remember was sensing his energy."

"_His_ energy?"

Terrato paused again. "…Actually…I guess I could say I sensed two. We all did. One of them was his, and the other's was Wyvern's. It was in the magicite."

"And you sense that now whenever you sense him, because he kept the magicite on him." Leviathan continued. "Correct?"

Terrato nodded. "Yes."

"…How can you be so sure which one is which?"

The earth esper hesitated at that. Leviathan's voice had a twist on the end of it, and it unnerved him. He hesitated for a moment and thought about that. To tell the truth…he actually wasn't sure. He had never thought of that before. He didn't know how to tell them apart. They were always together now, and they had never separated. "…Well, this one is clearly Bahamut. He has his dragon shape, his wings, his tail…"

"He's not the same color."

"…Yes, but that was supposed to be from infections and reentry."

Another brief pause.

"…Terrato…do you know what Wyvern looks like?"

The earth esper hesitated again. That odd note was on Leviathan's breath again, and it unsettled him. "…No. No one does, save for the people who were at that battlefield."

"Or those that grew up with him." Leviathan reminded him, his voice turning darker and colder. "And I know what he looks like, Terrato. The truth is that he is similar in appearance to Bahamut. About as similar as Ogopogo was to me. The only difference…is that Wyvern had a more reddish tint to his scales."

On hearing this, Terrato froze. He was putting it together now. Leviathan could tell that out of his peripheral vision. His eyes were widening, and the earth esper recoiled a bit as the truth came over him.

"…Are you meaning to tell me…"

"I knew it was him the moment I saw him in that medical wing." Leviathan continued. "What everyone assumed was due to injuries…his mannerisms, his voice, the way he carried himself… It was all Wyvern. I sensed immediately which one was the magicite and which one still lived. It wasn't our king who came back victorious from the moon. It was Wyvern. He had surpassed even our lord."

Terrato's own body seemed to turn white. He quivered in terror, and uneasily looked out for a moment, shocked at what he was hearing. His jaw hung loose as he slowly breathed. "…If I heard this from anyone else…I'd say they were lying. But I know you've never told a lie to me, Leviathan." After saying this, the serpent wheeled back around in a flash to Leviathan. "This whole time… The person we've been praising…acclaiming…nearly worshipping… The whole time we've been bowing down to the greatest enemy of esper kind in the history of Gaia? Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you organize us to drive that traitor out?"

Leviathan inhaled again, and closed his eyes as he felt more regret. "…The truth of the matter was, Terrato, that we were in a bad spot. None of us had been even close to a match with Bahamut. If Wyvern had killed him…then we knew, even weakened, he could destroy us. What more, even if we had a chance, he already had the ears of Ramuh and others. He could have claimed we were trying a coup d'etat against him. It would have started a civil war. Even if he didn't, he could have called out to his old followers and done the same thing. As fast as he was being healed, we couldn't do anything against him in time.

"I knew full well, as did my sister and brother, Starlet and Odin, who recognized him for who he was the moment he returned, that once Wyvern was recovered he'd reveal his true nature at once, and would slaughter us and anyone else loyal to Bahamut. Then he'd go about getting his revenge on the human race, in particular the summoners. You see, Rydia was right about him at the time. She had summoned Bahamut to battle him, and Bahamut was the one who left him in that terrible state. He wanted revenge on her and her friends for that.

"The only thing I could think of to save ourselves and her race was to bind Wyvern to her by force, bending him to her will to be her summon. But one of his power was too great to do it alone. So I sealed the power of other confidants we had on her, special ones that were required to bind his power…Shiva, Atomos, and Odin."

Terrato soon received another terrible shock at that, and anything that he managed to recover from the last surprise now slipped away again as he gaped at Leviathan. "Those…are the same espers that turned Nekura…"

Leviathan sighed long and slowly, keeping his eyes closed and not looking to him. "You're starting to get it, Terrato. I did bind them along with Wyvern to Rydia that very night. Not just to her…but to her bloodline. In future generations, the ability to summon and command these four espers remained inside the summoners. And they continued…right up until the time in which their latest descendant, Garnet, appeared…"

Terrato hesitated only a moment before he realized this as well. "So…" He began, as he slowly realized the truth. "That's why you were so earnest about her. You knew she had the power to control Wyvern within her. And that's why you didn't want her coming back. Because she would…" However, on saying that, Terrato stopped again. Another realization came to mind…and this one turned him to an expression of terror. "…You mean to say that the reason the Queen suddenly can command espers is because she somehow managed to manipulate Garnet into calling them?"

"Not manipulate." Leviathan corrected. "Somehow, she managed to have this Kuja draw them out of her, so that the bond now transferred to Brahne. Now that Brahne is dead, the bond is likely breaking. But it doesn't matter anymore. Kuja now has control over the espers."

"But…if that was the case," Terrato slowly continued. "…Then what about Wyvern? Why couldn't the Queen use him?"

"Wyvern is far too strong to be so easily bent to a non-summoner's will." Leviathan responded. After saying that…the sea esper slowly inhaled, and then slowly exhaled. More trouble came over him, and the dread of their current situation swept over his mind, filling him with fear and anxiety once again. "However…there were other ways, it seemed, to get him to follow Kuja. After I managed to free Shiva, Wyvern went out to challenge Kuja. But on getting there…Kuja made a deal with him. Wyvern still hates us for bowing him to our will. And he still bears hatred for the human race for humiliating him. Kuja agreed to free him from our power and increase his powers twofold in exchange for serving him." A brief pause. "…And he agreed."

Terrato's jaw dropped again. Now, the earth esper was truly stricken with terror. This was the thing all loyal espers feared more than anything. They already knew the horrific power of "Bahamut". But with it doubled? And with him serving an evil master? The thought was horrible. Now, why Leviathan had been so filled with trouble became clear. He turned back to him, and began to shake his head. "…We have to stop him, my lord. Alone, we cannot. But if we combine…if we somehow could regain the powers of Odin and Atomos…"

"Wyvern anticipated we would." Leviathan darkly answered. "He's already killed them both."

Terrato was struck dumb immediately. The situation was horrible… Worse than that, it seemed practically hopeless. The earth esper couldn't see anything good anymore. There was nothing esper kind could do against this. However, before he could wallow in despair for very long, the sea serpent turned back to him. His eyes were open now, and he glared powerfully and sternly at Terrato, commanding him like before.

"Now that you know the truth, Terrato…you know why I'm here as well. You should also know why I didn't signal ahead. There is only one thing now that can stop Wyvern from turning our world and the world of men into a flaming ruin. That is the stone monolith. This must be completed, and the holy esper must be activated. But if Wyvern learns about this before we can have it finished, it will be the end of us all. This is the only real threat to his rule left. That is why you must tell no one of this. If any of Wyvern's old allies learns of this place, they will destroy it or alert their master. We need this place, Terrato. We need it now more than ever. Do you understand?"

Terrato stared back blankly for a moment, held by Leviathan's glare. He was still awash with new revelation and fears. It struck him dumb and nearly senseless. He was filled with fear now, fearing that they were all doomed to destruction by the hellish esper now on the loose. But seeing Leviathan snapped him out of it. His eyes held him and calmed him down, and forced him to relax again. His bearings came back, and his logic brain took control again. Leviathan, in the end, was right. He knew full well that this was the only thing that could stop Wyvern. And now, he knew more than ever that it had to be completed. For the future of this world, this esper had to be ready to move and move soon. Now, they might not even have a week. Yet with new determination to have it ready, Terrato finally calmed and gave a nod.

"…I do. And we'll have this ready, come hell or high water."

Leviathan looked back at him a moment. But then, despite everything that had happened, he managed a smile. After all, he was glad that he and Terrato were finally on the same page. And he was glad that the esper was with him. "Good."

"But my lord…why didn't you tell others about this earlier?"

The sea serpent paused, and then sighed. "I couldn't risk having Wyvern's real identity get out. So long as he was willing to impersonate Bahamut, I was willing to fuel that notion. The moment he wanted to expose himself was the moment real problems would begin. But now, that's in the past. Now, he has to be destroyed, and this is the only way. I'd like to get to work right now. I brought my charts and some devices, and I'd like to start using them."

Terrato hesitated again, but then gave a nod. "Yes sir. Right this way."

* * *

The next two days were a blur.

When Leviathan had long ago drawn out his plans for the stone monolith, it was what horror stories had described for years as the ultimate expression of mankind's scientific hubris. While Leviathan hoped that it wouldn't quite amount to so much as that, he nevertheless couldn't dispute the eerie similiarities. The great machine was, for all intensive purposes, a great organism. It was the end result of Leviathan's centuries of study of organisms on a microscopic level, investigating how all of their bits and pieces worked, such as muscles, nerves, bones, and all the other minor organs and tissues. Put together, they made a life form. While unable to reproduce these things in their miniature form, Leviathan had managed to make thousands upon thousands of designs detailing ways to make them on a macroscopic level, in effect gigantic form.

That was, in effect, what all of the various machines and devices summed up to within the great monolith. It was an organism, only giant sized with corresponding giant tissues and organs made synthetically and artificially as opposed to naturally. But it was a great thing indeed. It had everything represented in clockwork, spring, and machine form that a real organism had. The one thing it lacked was the spark of life that would manipulate everything into a living, breathing organism. And that was where the Crystal Stone came in. When activated, this mountain-sized machine would come to life as an esper. Not just any esper…but one that was an amalgamation of positive energy and goodness…a holy esper. Just as the Chaos of the lost Age of Chaos had been an amalgamation of evil, this was an amalgamation of goodness.

Tirelessly, Leviathan worked to bring his creation to life. His crews were now pushed on harder by the urges of their taskmaster, who likewise worked at a feverish pace. A guard was posted at all hours, instructed to notify the superiors of the slightest approach of any dark aura. Meanwhile, the other espers continued to make adjustments and modifications. The basic physical structure of the stone monolith had been placed ages ago. Now, Leviathan had to make sure that as many of the machines would work in concert with each other, just like a real body would. He had to make sure his artificial nervous system that utilized electric charges in batteries would operate as close to a real nervous system in controlling the body. He had to make sure that the nutrient oil that provided the fuel for the machine, like blood in a circulatory system, ran without leaks. He had to make sure that the physical machines would respond with great physical force to the desires of the esper yet to be born. In short…he had to make sure it would work when it came to life.

Oil splashed…gears snapped…springs exploded…wrenches tightened…saws cut…and Leviathan read off one reading after another. Steam and oil filled the chamber with their smells. It began to be like a primitive engine in a human ship, only on a large scale, what with heat and confusion and devices running every which way but together endlessly working. But still Leviathan pushed on. He refused to sleep anymore, until his creation was ready. One problem after another was encountered. Unlike a real body, this one did not repair itself, and the few systems in place to automatically maintain the stone monolith were in short supply. Sadly, they hadn't the time to finish them all, which was the last touch that was needed on this great machination. For now, _they_ were the immune system, and they had to clear out all the wear and tear, make all the minor adjustments, and struggle to get the thing to live. It was near endless work…and it had to be done both fast and precisely. But slowly and surely…progress was made on the great weapon.

Leviathan was in the middle of working near the head of the great machine late in the second day, adjusting one of the battery units that would act as a nerve to operate the rest of the monolith, when he heard a call. On hearing it, he immediately dropped what he was doing and looked up in anxiety. Terrato, two levels down, did the same and began to sweat. The other workers likewise stopped and looked down to the entrance. For a moment…they all went as silent as they had two days ago. But before any of them could do anything else, or jump to any conclusions, a body soon ran in through the tunnel. They recognized it as the sentry esper that was on duty.

"Palidor is coming!" He cried out.

Leviathan felt a wave of relief come over him, as his heart slowly quieted. He had feared the worst, that Wyvern was coming when they weren't ready. However, this was important too. He replaced his tools on the ground, and then rose and walked to the edge of the railing. Though in human form, he simply threw himself over the edge, sailed down in a free fall through the vast interior of the stone monolith, dodging nimbly each machine as he did so, and soon landed on the ground. He immediately dropped to a squat, but then quickly and calmly rose to his feet and stood at the ready.

The other espers took more subtle ways, but made their way down as well. As they did, the sentry stood to one side. Leviathan heard a flutter of wings from a small bird in the tunnel. As he had advised, none of the espers were risking taking a large form outside of certain "safe zones". Palidor was no exception, having turned into a tiny version of her full body. Now, he heard her morph into her full sized form, and a moment later he heard a greater rush of wind as she quickly flapped the rest of the way down the hall and out. As she emerged, the rest of the espers gathered around.

Palidor gave a graceful bow to Leviathan in greeting. "It is good to see you are still well, my lord."

"Likewise, Palidor." Leviathan responded immediately. Yet even as he said this, he asked a private question mentally…for this much information he didn't want the others to know.

_How is Terratopolis?_

_Tritoch, as you well know, is one of the strongest ones among us. He is maintaining order for now. But it is no longer up for dispute that members of Wyvern's followers are meeting publicly. They haven't decried you or Tritoch yet, but it's only a matter of time. They're trying to win more people over to their cause, and more aggressive espers, like Ifrit, are beginning to talk of organizing against them._

Leviathan sighed slowly. Actually…this wasn't too bad. By the end of tomorrow, they would be ready. Then it wouldn't matter what happened. Wyvern would be gone, and the long, dark chapter in esper history would at last be closed. It was regretful that he and Starlet would be the only ones of the original espers left, but there was nothing for it now. At any rate, with that out of the way, it was time to get to more public matters.

"What is going on in the world of men?"

"There have been no esper attacks in days. It appears that Queen Brahne managed to make it to shore when her fleet was destroyed, but she died soon after. With her death, the kingdom has once again embraced Garnet as the true heir and legitimate Princess. Soon, she will be the Queen of Alexandria herself. Many of the people of the world take this as a good sign. It is undeniable that her rule will mean an end to Alexandria's ambitions for world conquest, and the conquered kingdoms have already been released. Even the annual Card Tournament of Treno is proceeding on schedule."

Leviathan paused at that. Well, he supposed he should thank Heaven for small favors. Though he doubted that Garnet was anywhere near emotionally stable enough to be a Queen, anything was better than Brahne at this point. However, there was still something important to know.

"…Any word…anything at all…about Kuja?"

Palidor shook her head. "Nothing. An escaped ship brought Garnet and her friends back to Alexandria two days ago at this point. Yet still there had been no acts of aggression on Alexandria. The army is preparing, none the less."

_Fat lot that will do them._ Leviathan groaned inwardly. This was odd to him, though. Why hadn't Wyvern attacked yet? What exactly was Kuja waiting for? He could have struck by now and eliminated the last of the summoners as well as the last kingdom of men as well. Yet he wasn't doing it… He didn't honestly fear their army, did they? They had done little against Wyvern's power back at the Iifa Tree. The least of Wyvern's weapons could wipe out every cannon and soldier in Alexandria. However, Leviathan feared that Kuja wouldn't be content with that. He'd have Wyvern bring out his strongest weapons, and Wyvern would be only too happy to-

At that thought…Leviathan paused.

Perhaps that was why…

"Anything else, my lord?" Palidor suddenly addressed.

Snapping out of his private thoughts, Leviathan turned back to the bird esper. He stared at her only a moment, and then gave a nod. "Yes. I do have one more question I'd like answered. What is the lunar cycle for tonight?"

The other espers turned in puzzlement to the sea serpent. What did that have to do with anything? How did that help them in any way? Palidor raised an eyebrow herself in confusion. But Leviathan was always serious, and glared at her hard for a response. After a momentary pause, Palidor gave a simple shrug. "Um…I don't know. I think it's a new moon now."

Leviathan paused at that. He felt a nervous ripple go through him. However, he went on. "And the weather? What is the weather predicted for tonight?"

This only served to drive the other espers into more confusion, wondering indeed where this was going. Palidor was much the same. "…There's a storm brewing for tomorrow, so it's going to be a cloudy night. Why?"

However, the answers to these innocent seeming questions filled Leviathan with dread, and he swallowed nervously. It made sense now. All espers had some sort of element which charged them with power. Years ago, he had analyzed Wyvern, without his knowledge of course, to determine his. Strangely enough, it seemed that Wyvern was able to generate energy from the inner energy in particles in their resting state. However…it was only when they were in their resting state. He couldn't generate from excited particles.Excited particles most commonly were photons, which came from light. Hence, it appeared that Wyvern managed to gain his power from darkness, just as Bahamut had gained his power from light. It was also why things seemed to die and grow cold around Wyvern when he charged his attacks. At any rate, Wyvern was at his strongest point the darker it was…the less natural light was in the area.

Now…it made sense to Leviathan, and scared him. That was what Kuja was waiting for. This point in time. Tonight. At midnight tonight, the sun would be at its farthest part from Alexandria. The new moon would keep any sunlight from being reflected, and the clouds would blot out any stars. Perfect darkness. In this sort of state, Wyvern could fully charge his own deadly Omniapex. One blast of it would not only wipe Alexandria off the face of Gaia…but most likely half of the Mist Continent.

A new fear now pervaded Leviathan. He held for a brief moment longer, but then quickly snapped out of it. They had new problems to deal with now. He supposed it had been too much to hope that they would get the full week out of this. He should feel lucky that they got as much time as they did. But that was over now. It was already late in the day. From sundown until midnight, the attack could begin at any time. Leviathan had a feeling Wyvern would rather kill some humans the old fashioned way, and blot out more lights from the city, before he destroyed the rest of the kingdom. There wasn't a moment to lose. Immediately, he wheeled around and faced Terrato. His face was so full of passion and earnest that the snake esper shot back, as did his surrounding crew.

"…Finish up everything you need to do to get the stone monolith working." He flatly ordered. "It will be activated tonight."

The other crew members gaped at this. Terrato himself reacted in shock. "Tonight? I thought we had another day."

"Not anymore." Leviathan flatly answered, already turning to go back up and finish his own task. "We now have only a few hours."

Terrato's eyes widened. "We can't finish in a few hours! We can't even get all of the nerves connected by then!"

"Then connect all you can." Leviathan flatly answered as he began to hover, not willing to take the elevator to get back up. "One way or another…the stone monolith lives tonight. If we don't launch it by then, we never will."

* * *

_To be continued..._


	9. Alexander

As mad as the work seemed before, it was even more now. Leviathan had never known a creature that could live like this, but seeing as this was a machine he struggled to make it work. He had to shunt oil and fuel to different areas, rework the batteries, and struggle to get as much power to the initial systems as he could on the monolith to try and get it to work. As best as he could figure, the machine could operate as it was now with only the upper half actually moving. The thing would be unable to get anywhere, but it wouldn't need to. All it would have to do was be functional enough to strike back.

As daylight continued to fade, and night fell, the espers worked frantically. Because they did, they frequently ran into more problems, and struggled to compensate. Mistakes were made. Pipes were ripped or burst, steam was channeled into the wrong valve and blew it out, and one of the batteries was totally discharged and rendered useless. Replacing these things, which would take a day in and of themselves, was also a frantic, reckless business. Leviathan cut corners everywhere, trying to just get the thing to move. More often than not, as a result, the machine spluttered and died rather than worked out. But as they continued to move frantically, at last the machine began to get to some semblance of operation. Yet there wasn't the time to test many things, and there was no time to test things a second time to make sure the first run hadn't broken something.

Night continued to deepen. Overhead, Leviathan heard the sounds of revelry as Alexandria celebrated its newest monarch. It curdled his blood. Did any of those reveling people have the slightest idea the horrible fate that awaited them? Did any of them know that soon they and their families would be in mortal danger? Leviathan didn't know. He only knew that time was running out. He wasn't even sure if it could run when this was all over. But he had to try.

As Leviathan finished reattaching the replacement battery and running its tests, Terrato hauled a length of pipe up to a nearby relay. Espers were working wildly all around them, but Terrato managed to continue to work calmly as well as quickly, and even looked to Leviathan as he continued to hook up the pipe.

"…You know, in the hustle of all that has been happening, we forgot one important thing. What are we going to christen this when and if it works?"

Leviathan hesitated for a moment after that. While it was hardly an essential thing, he realized that he should call it something. He hesitated, and looked up for a moment. He really couldn't think of much. What was appropriate? There were some esper words for good and holy… They didn't work out so well. They were too complicated. What about mountain? Or monolith? Both of those were bad sounding as well. He thought harder about the nature of the machine, and looked over it for a moment. There had to be something good… This whole mountain was the throne for the great castle of Alexandria, after all…

When Leviathan thought of that, at once a name came to him. And to him, human sounding as it was, it seemed to fit it perfectly.

"…Alexander."

* * *

"Lovely spot for our third act, don't you think?"

Wyvern merely glared hatefully down on the pitiful pale creature beneath him. The very sight of him made him want to vomit. Even in his human form, that he had taken right now, he was far larger than the puny little mortal. Despite the amount of power he had gotten from him, he still had to suppress his nausea at the thought of working for this miserable creature. He could tell the little fop actually still believed himself to be Wyvern's superior. Well…he would show him soon enough. After tonight, the last look he would see on his feminine face would be horrible disgust as he inhaled a whiff of Wyvern's foul breath…

"Whatever." Wyvern snapped back. "Your inane chatter bores me."

Kuja's smile faded for a moment. Both of them now stood at the front of the great city of Alexandria. It was late now, approaching midnight. The streets were clear. All those who hadn't turned in had gone to the coronation of Queen Garnet. On thinking of her, Wyvern received another joy. It would be very fun to rip her miserable little body limb from limb. The little runt deserved it, after all. The only thing that Wyvern couldn't stand any more than working for Kuja was the thought of working for that fat cow. And because of the stupid summoner race, he had nearly been forced to do so. She and her city would suffer for that.

"Don't forget, you are my slave, subcreature." Kuja flatly answered. "You had better show some respect."

Wyvern merely grinned in reply. He crossed his arms confidently and glared at him. "Still think you're the one calling the shots, peacock?" He sneered in response. Afterward…he quickly turned his face into a scowl. "Get this through your feathered head. The only reason I'm working for you is because we're both getting something out of it. If you think you have such great control over me, then keep up your incessant babbling, and I will be glad to show you who is the _true_ master here."

Kuja, in response to this, merely cupped his laced hand to his mouth and gave his airy chuckle again, once again taking a feminine characteristic. Wyvern struggled not to rip his head off for doing that stupid thing again. "Oh, Bahamut…I could easily educate you as to why I am not only the master here, but actually a superior life form. But I don't waste my time with puny matters of no consequence such as yourself."

Wyvern tightened a hand into a fist, and began to grit his teeth.

"The only thing I care for you to do is tear this city asunder, and kill every last man, woman, and child on it. And thanks to you being patient enough to follow my instructions, you should have enough power to turn this continent into a sheet of heat-fused glass, and cause a lovely flood of screaming, terrified souls to enter into the Lifestream of this world."

Wyvern continued to frown at this. "…I know full well what I'm getting out of this. Revenge against the human race for spawning summoners in the first place." He stated. "But what's in it for you? Why are you so eager to see your own race die?"

As if that was a private joke, Kuja gave his light little laugh again to this…in a tone that curdled Wyvern's blood. He didn't like that voice. It was too cold and unnatural. It made him want to forget the deal and kill Kuja right now. Yet in the end, he quit and looked back to Wyvern. "Let's just say…" He began in a sinister, cruel voice. "…That I have a problem with there being any other life forms in existence other than myself. I also have superiors who I need to render an account unto. Pull this off, Bahamut, and I'll grant you another target whom I think you'll be most eager to destroy."

Wyvern would have raised an eyebrow if he could have. "…Who?"

"All good things to those who wait." Kuja calmly answered. "Now…begin my third act."

Wyvern snorted again, but decided he was getting nowhere here. He'd beat the truth out of him once this was all finished. After that, he turned and looked to the city once again. He paused for a brief moment…and then suddenly leapt into the air. His legs carried him much farther than any human could jump, and soon he sailed one hundred…two hundred…three hundred feet in the air. Once he reached that point, he spread out his arms and legs and immediately halted in the sky.

Wyvern quickly shredded his clothes. His scales burst out over his skin, his horns and crest erupted from his head, his wings and tail lashed out behind him, and his body enlarged. Soon he turned red and grew nails and claws, and his full evil power erupted once more like a flame from a volcano. Soon, the sky and ground around him rumbled under the power of his great body, and the world grew darker in his wake. The great Wyvern finished transforming, and now glared down on Alexandria like a bird of prey over its kill.

The esper banked forward and began to soar over the city, and discharged his breath weapons on everything he could see.

* * *

Leviathan felt a cold spike strike through his subconsciousness and into his brain. He quivered and nearly dropped where he was. He wasn't alone. The other espers stopped what they were doing at the same time and looked up in fear. Regardless of ability, there was no way that any esper couldn't deny the sudden eruption of dark power and hatred that now came forth, especially not this close. It looked as if something had stabbed them in the chest, and their jaws dropped and eyes bulged as sweat burst forth from their foreheads. Moments later, the espers turned and wheeled their heads around to an invisible source. However, they weren't looking in the stone monolith for it. They were looking beyond to what was outside…to the horrible evil they could now sense. And now…they began to sense other lives winking out and feel terrible waves radiating off of it.

"Good God…" One of them breathlessly remarked. "What is that monster?"

Leviathan didn't answer. He stared at it only a second longer, and realized that Wyvern had come. Their time was now up. Immediately, he turned his head to the others, and spoke in a commanding voice to force them to move. "All of you…finish what you are working on now and then evacuate the stone monolith."

The other espers turned back to him a moment. However, they then quickly complied. They turned back to their tasks and quickly began to wrap them up. One of them even finished quickly, and then immediately took off for the elevator. As he did, Leviathan turned to his own battery. He made a few more minor adjustments, and then closed it up. Hopefully it wouldn't break down, but there was no more time. Sadly, it was a good thing that Wyvern was taking his time to destroy this city. If he had used his Omniapex immediately, then their realizing it was him would have been futile.

Now finished with his own task, Leviathan closed his eyes and looked up. Despite the fear and urgency of the situation, he began to focus and stretch out his senses. Luckily he was a practiced pro at this, and it took no time at all for him to start to stretch out telepathically. As he did, he began to search the surrounding area. Not finding what he wanted immediately in Alexandria, he quickly turned his attention to beneath the castle. It was hard to focus with Wyvern's own horrible power overshadowing everything else, but he was successful. Soon, he went all the way into the basement, and once there he quickly found the Gargant tunnel and began to go through it. Luckily, he didn't have to go far. He soon found the energy signature he was looking for, along with other familiar signs, including the "good" anomaly, and saw that it was nearly to Alexandria. Without hesitation, he called out to it mentally.

_Eiko?_

There was a brief pause afterward, for humans were always shocked when contacted mentally. But then, he heard an uncertain reply.

…_Is this you, Leviathan?_

_Yes. It is time._

_But…I can't do it without Dagger's help._

Who was Dagger? Leviathan wondered privately. Maybe it was some sort of name they gave Garnet. Yet another name change. Those humans could be so silly… Well, it didn't matter. He quickly spoke up again.

_I'll send her along. Make for the roof of the castle. Once you get there, join your stones with Garnet's…or Dagger's…and then summon the entity within. Its name is Alexander. This is the only chance you have of destroying that monster that's attacking Alexandria._

_…Ok. I'll do it._

_Good girl._

Leviathan broke off his link, and momentarily returned to reality. Abruptly, a large explosion went off that seemed on the exterior of the stone monolith, and suddenly the whole facility shuddered. A bit of dust rained from the ceiling, and Leviathan swallowed. They were running out of time. Even without his strongest attack, Wyvern could destroy Alexander before he was summoned. He looked up nervously for a moment to the ceiling, as he saw it slowly stop shaking from the eruption. Many of the espers were gone now, and others were quickly running. He heard other explosions overhead, and he knew that Alexandria's cannon was returning fire. However…he realized that would only make Wyvern target the castle more than before. Sure enough, another explosion suddenly sent a tremor through the facility, and more pebbles rained down.

Terrato finished installing his own pipe, and nervously turned to Leviathan. "…That debris could ruin some of the gears."

"Nothing we can do now." The sea serpent answered. "Just go."

Terrato held a moment, looking at his regent with anxiety. But then, he turned and began to rush out after the others. There were only four espers left still working at this point, and Leviathan was one of them. Another eruption went off, and one of the espers, Leviathan thought, quit working even though he wasn't finished yet and turned to run for it. It didn't matter now. The sea serpent inhaled deeply and braced himself for another contact. Soon, he closed his eyes, and reached out again.

There was chaos throughout the castle now, what with the army running about trying to defend the city. Fortunately, at least some people were evacuating. That was probably the best thing for them right now. Yet it wouldn't matter if Wyvern got off his strongest attack. Despite the trouble, however, Leviathan soon found the person he was looking for. Her own signature stuck out like a sore thumb.

Now was the hard part. Leviathan swallowed at the thought. This girl was so out of touch with her summoner heritage, there was no telling what she would do. Yet he had a feeling she would be more receptive to him now. She better be. If she didn't go through with this…then it would all be for nothing, and her people would die. Hesitating only a moment longer, Leviathan called out to her.

_…Garnet._

As expected, there was the traditional pause. It was longer than usual, and Leviathan hoped that she wasn't panicking or thinking that was a hallucination. At any rate, he waited patiently and prayed.

_…Who's there?_

Leviathan sighed in relief. The first hurdle had been cleared. She was talking to him. She sounded uneasy, afraid, and emotionally distraught after all that was happening to her castle. She had barely been queen three hours before she had to order her army to combat this coming evil. He swallowed again and licked his lips.

_There's little time to explain, Garnet. Suffice to say, I am what you call an eidilon._

Another pause, and then more confusion. _An eidilon…? Calling me? Why? I don't…_

_As I said before,_ Leviathan continued in a cold, serious voice. _There is little time. Answer me this, Garnet. Do you wish to save your kingdom from destruction?_

_I…I don't…_

_Do you or don't you?_ Leviathan nearly shouted.

Garnet paused for a moment on the other end, obviously uneasy. For a moment, Leviathan thought he had scared her off. But then, he heard a response. And it was a bit stronger than before, showing that she had some determination about some things at least.

_Yes. Yes, I do. But…Bahamut is the strongest of all eidilons…_

_There is one that is stronger. And he slumbers right beneath your feet._

_…Excuse me?_

_You have the jewel you need to summon him. Rather, you have half of it. Eiko has the other half, and she's already headed for the top of Alexandria castle. Go up and meet her, and both of you must summon this eidilon. His name is Alexander, the holy eidilon. You must go and summon him now. He's the only thing that can destroy both Bahamut and his master, and save your city._

Another pause. Leviathan feared, for a moment, that Garnet's endless uncertainty was frustrating his attempts to get her to move. However…it luckily lasted only a moment. Then he heard her respond in a quivering, yet determined, voice.

_Alright. Alright, I'll do it._

_Then go now._

With that, Leviathan broke off the mental link. Well…some good fortune for a change. It might yet come to nothing. He had never even experimented with this sort of thing. He wasn't exactly sure if it would work, especially since the esper was still in pieces. But there was no time to waste. It was now or never. He wished he had thought of a contingency plan…but he supposed it didn't matter. If this didn't work, he and the workers could do little to stop Wyvern. And when he fired his Omniapex…they'd be doomed as well. Both their lives and the lives of these people depended on Alexander now.

Now alone, Leviathan lingered only long enough to say one last prayer, and whether one more explosion, before turning and running for the exit too.

* * *

_He's using an eidilon…_

Unknown to either the espers or the people of Alexandria…or anyone else on Gaia, for that matter…the battle below was taking place before an audience of one. High over the surface of Gaia the man now hovered in a great, blue, oddly shaped ship that confounded designs of all other airships up until this point. His withered, ancient body now looked over the large red iris view screen that enabled him to view the planet with little difficulty at any time, and unknown to anyone. His black gauntleted hand clutched the hand rail with a progressively stiffening grip, and his jaw clenched around his wiry white beard.

_I should never have given him a personality…but he would have been useless to me otherwise. I didn't want him. I wanted Zidane. This is what I get for using leftovers. I repeated to the fool endlessly the danger of using eidilons. He was always an arrogant little twerp. Even now, he doesn't realize the only reason this eidilon isn't killing him is because it's using him as well._

_You're on your last strike, Kuja. I didn't wait thousands of years just to have your insanity ruin things…

* * *

Leviathan fled out of the doorway to the stone monolith and charged into the surrounding forest. He didn't have to worry about guards now. They were gone, back into the main city. Even with his back to it, Leviathan could feel the heat pouring off of it, and see the glow of the flames reflected in the trees. But still, he plunged into the deep, wet wood that surrounded the castle, and ran on._

The esper ignored roots and brambles that got in his way. He smacked away branches in his face, and his power ripped out roots that tried to trip him. He breathed hard and fast, more from fear than exhaustion, as he put as much distance between himself and the stone monolith as he could. There were no forest creatures or insects around. They all had sensed that death would soon come on this place, and had already fled for their lives as well. Leviathan wanted to flee too, but that was no longer an option. Alexander was the only option.

At last, Leviathan emerged into a "gather point" that he had set up. As he pushed through the trees into a clearing, he saw that the rest of the espers were already gathered there, and were looking back up to the ruin that was Alexandria. Leviathan slowed his step, but continued to rush forward until he had met up with the others. Once there, he panted for a moment, but then turned and began to watch as well.

There was little one could see from the forest. Alexander was still standing, tall and impressive, over the city. But now, he was mostly covered with smoke. The city itself was too small to see clearly over the canopy, but Leviathan could see the flames and black darkness rising from it. He could hear the multitude of screams even from over here. He saw lights erupt from the castle, no doubt the cannons struggling to fight off the horrible beast. Finally, every once in a while he saw the horrible monster Wyvern come out of the black gloom only to turn and plunge back into the fires, like a bat out of hell. Things were turning bad…

"Look!"

Leviathan perked up at that, and recognized Palidor's voice. She was pointing out to Alexandria castle, he soon realized. The others turned and looked up to it as well. Unfortunately, Palidor had the best eyes out of all of them. They were not able to see what was going on. Leviathan himself squinted, but then looked up and focused on the castle roof. If there was something going on, he hoped it was happening there. But between the smoke and the distance, it was impossible to see anything.

That was…until he saw a white glow.

Far at the top of Alexandria castle, a pale glow began to surround two individuals. Both of them, who had been earnestly calling out to the presence in their stones, now opened their eyes and gazed in amazement. The glow continued to grow brighter as it surrounded the both of them, and soon small rays of light seemed to erupt from the ground on the circle their two bodies made. Small sparks of whiteness began to flutter up from it, and it continued to grow as they stood there. A ringing seemed to come out…like some faint noise from the heavens. It was light yet powerful, and it only grew as they continued.

Slowly…both girls found themselves slowly raised off the ground. The smaller was raised far higher, nearly flying as she was pushed into the sky. As they rose, they watched and saw their fragments move on their own. They left them, and came forth to spiral around once before inverting and coming together. They slowly united into one single crystal in between them. And once they slowly slid together and became one…a dazzling pure light began to eminate from it. It soon bathed over them both, and increased the shine around them. It was marvelous…wonderful to behold. As they stared at it…their pains and fears and doubts went away. They felt warm…livid…happy… A light of purity and goodness flooded into their souls, and all darkness and confusion was swept away. Garnet momentarily forgot the pain of her mother and people dying, and felt only content and reassured within the light of the Crystal Stone. Eiko, on her part…felt as if she didn't need any parents…and was comforted simply by the light of the stone.

However, as time continued, the entire population of Alexandria ceased fleeing and turned up to the castle. The foul Mistidon creatures that Kuja had unleashed to supplement his destruction of Alexandria paused and curiously looked up to the sight. Even Wyvern, reveling in his glorious destruction, stopped to look up to it. As they watched, the great white glow that started in the top of the tower, seemed to spread. It appeared to highlight the entire castle. It did not glow as a light did, but nevertheless the black smoke appeared to part and be blown away, and was replaced by a great white shine from all around it. The heavens seemed to turn white, and beam down rays of radiance over the castle as the glow at its head continued. Soon, pure light had enveloped the entire structure. At that point…it began to change.

Abruptly, the entire front tower suddenly surged up. To the shock of everyone, it was like an earthquake had suddenly erupted and forced the front keep into the air. Only as the massive stone structure rose, it didn't break or bend off…but stayed straight. A great cracking sound was heard, and a rumbling went out a huge pieces of stone began to fracture and fall off of this front tower. As it did…more cracking went on either side of the castle, as the two towers on the sides abruptly shifted and began to shed tons of earth and rock. The ground shook as a tremendous rumbling sounded. A quake fractured the streets of Alexandria as the stone fell to the ground and shattered. Slowly…it seemed as if the two towers on the side began to _move_. They seemed to be drawing into the main tower, which continued to hover over the tiny city below and shed rock and dust. The two towers seemed to fix themselves onto the raised tower, and as they did…the seemed to provide levers that pushed the rest of the massive castle into the air. The sound was tremendous, and all below were overshadowed by the glorious light of the castle as well as its massive size. They felt like ants beneath a great creature as it slowly woke up. And they realized, somehow…that Alexandria castle was _coming to life._

One of the towers lifted. The thousands of tons of rock and stone lifted into the air, and then came down to balance the great stone structure. As it did, the world below shook, and all were thrown to the ground. The other tower did the same, shattering the foundations of the nearest buildings and sending them into a collapse. The great stone monolith continued to move, and pulled itself up…like it was pulling its torso out of the ground. Within it, the sound of thousands upon thousands of gears and levers moved as the huge machine was filled at last with a spark of life. Now, it towered over everything for miles, glowing radiantly and showing off its full majesty. It looked as if it was a huge citadel…a town-sized tower that had come to life. That was true enough, for that was what it was. It was covered with ancient ridges and architecture, that of a much older castle and age. It was weathered and natural looking as well, showing that this thing was far more ancient than Alexandria. The two towers that could easily fit the entire populace of Alexandria within them formed two limbs that supported the bulk off of the ground. Finally, there was its head. It was a tremendous castle itself. The old work of Alexandria castle had fallen away, revealing a far more majestic and glorious palace underneath. It was ringed and ridged in ascending order, and crowned with a multitude of spires and towers, making it look like a great city and a king at the same time. If that wasn't enough…the bright light suddenly gathered around the great monolith. It condensed and became blinding, and all who watched were forced to shield themselves and look away. When they did, it continued to build and burn…until it flashed out with a light more glorious than the sun. It pierced the eyes of the onlookers even when they were covered, and they all cried out. But then they slowly uncovered them and looked back to see what had happened, they were even more amazed. Old and stone as the huge thing was, now…a pair of shimmering, ethereal, and pure white wings now slowly unfolded from in front of it, and went behind it. The radiated with light and holiness as the great esper amalgamation at last came to life.

Alexander was born.

* * *

_It worked._

_I can't believe it worked._

Leviathan and the others were stunned into silence as the great radiant esper drove off the darkness and smoke, leaving the night clear and bathed in its white glow. They couldn't see it…but the mistidons, terrified at the power of this new thing, turned and ran in terror. As the smoke parted, Leviathan saw that Wyvern alone still hovered over the city, but even he had stopped to stare in amazement of the great thing.

Leviathan couldn't help but scan Alexander…and was overwhelmed. The esper was conscious, and brimming with unparalleled power. A legion of Grievers couldn't have stood up to this thing. And yet, thankfully, he realized that the great esper allowed him to scan it. It was not plagued by evil, but was indeed governed by good and pure desires. All of Leviathan's hopes and dreams seemed to have been fulfilled. He had done it. He had made a pure and good esper, and it was more than strong enough to destroy all of Gaia's foes.

Now for the true test…

* * *

_Damn Leviathan to Hell…_

Wyvern sneered this as he looked at the behemoth of an esper towering before him. Wyvern had never been that good at sensing power, but he had a feeling that this thing was strong, especially with how it was literally changing the weather as he stared at it. This was why Leviathan always ran off to Alexandria. This was what he constantly ran out and did for hundreds of years. He was building this thing…specifically to kill him.

It made the esper fume with rage.

His horrible teeth gnashed and spat. His muscles bulged, and his own dark power began to flare up. He arched his body and balled his hands into fists as he glared at the giant. In his mind, his hate swelled again. He plotted all sorts of revenge and death to befall Leviathan and everything he loved. Time and time again, the damned esper had frustrated him. Throughout history, he always went behind his back with these pitiful little plans. Always he interfered with him on the eve of his victory! He was finally avenging himself on humanity…about to become the Emperor of the Blue Planet at last…had thrown off the shackles of his servitude… And now Leviathan was ruining it again! Ruining it with this damned stone esper! His hate continued to rage…horrible hatred toward Leviathan…toward his followers…but most of all to the glowing esper that now towered before him as large as a mountain…

_Damn you… Damn you… DAMN YOU!_

**Losing your temper will avail you little.**

Wyvern suddenly snapped out of his anger. His head snapped up. Abruptly…a voice had traveled into him and spoke. It wasn't quite a mental message. It was more like a message that had been sent to resonate through his being and his being alone. But whatever it was…it was strong. Far stronger than any normal telepathic message. It had much more force. It felt like a physical power rather than some mental signal. The voice was the weirdest… It seemed both male and female…old and young…artificial and natural…and was totally calm and controlled.

Wyvern grit his teeth immediately. He knew what it was.

"You…" He sneered out loud in his inhuman esper voice. "What the hell are you?"

**I am Alexander.**

Wyvern continued to sneer. "I mean where the hell did you come from! I've never seen you or sensed you before! What are you!"

**I am the bringer of justice. I am a child of all goodness in all espers, combined and presented with this body. I am the supreme guardian.**

Wyvern continued to glare evilly at the thing through his visor. "…And I suppose you think you're mightier than me, the Lord of All Espers?"

**I do not think. I already know clearly that your power is far inferior to mine.**

Wyvern hissed. "You're a smug little son of a bitch, aren't you!"

**Pride has nothing to do with it.** Alexander calmly continued. **I can clearly see your power and mine. It is quite impossible for you to defeat me. My goal in life is one of protection and mercy. I will not allow you to harm another living thing. You must surrender.**

Wyvern growled deep in his throat. His hatred surged. Heat gathered around his body, and a fire leapt up in his stomach as he glared wickedly at Alexander, all the while full of bloodlust and violence.

"You conceited, wretched abomination!" He spat back viciously. "How dare you talk down to me! How dare you! I am the King of All Espers! I am your lord and master! I am the greatest and strongest of all creatures alive! And you have the smugness to treat me like I'm some inconsequential punk! Look at me! With a single blast I could kill everyone within a hundred miles! I've bathed in the Lifestream for thousands of years…been rebuilt with greater powers…and have attained the power of Terra itself! I've worked too long and hard for this! You think you, some miserable damned machine, some stinking freak of nature, is going to take it all away from me! I haven't passed through this all just to have some ambitious little bastard like you suddenly come up and take it from me! I am your King! Fear my power! Fear my might!"

**I will do neither.** Alexander calmly answered. **You are insane. You have warped yourself with your own hatred for your brother. You are a danger to all innocent life on this world. I will not allow you to stay in a position that will enable you to harm others.**

_"And what the hell will you do about it!"_ Wyvern snapped viciously, striking his tail in a cutting motion and spitting out fire from his mouth. "You think some damn machine is going to stop me! Nothing can beat me! Nothing! I've attained power greater than anything in the world! The greatest in history! I'm unstoppable now! I'll never let some damned half esper take it from me! Do you hear! _NEVER!_"

**Then you will be stopped by force.** Alexander answered, not in the least miffed.

_"STOP THIS!"_

Immediately, Wyvern unfurled his wings. He didn't care anymore that light was now draining his ability to do this attack. He simply arched himself back and began to generate the power. Soon, energy currents were flowing into his wings. The air around him grew dark and stagnant, and a horrible burning sphere began to gather in front of him. He tightened his muscles and buckled. Not finding enough power in the air around him…he soon began to channel his own horrific ki into the attack. It expanded dramatically in power and fury as he did so, burning and sizzling in mid-air. Finally, he was ready, buckling and sweating under the might of the attack. His head snapped back, as he bellowed out in bloody rage.

_"NOC-PYRIN!"_

The deadly ball immediately took off and sailed for Alexander. The huge orb cut through the air and produced a horrible squeal behind it. Rays of light draining currents formed behind it, and a line of gray and stagnant air and smoke blazed beyond it. But the horrible attack itself, smoldering and sizzling, made its way right for Alexander's heart. Even weakened, the attack was terrible. It could destroy the entire Alexandrian area, as well as all the people within it. Alexander stiffened, and watched the deadly missile come right for his heart…

Then, moments before striking, Alexander flexed his giant angel wings and crossed them in front of him. The attack came forward a moment later, and sailed right for the point where they intersected. It soon erupted. And yet…when it did…it illuminated a massive, translucent, sapphire white sphere that suddenly seemed to encircle not only Alexander, but everything around him as well. The great sphere was only partially illuminated, but it blazed to life in response to the force being used against it. A sound from the heavens seemed to ring out, and its noise drowned the horrible squeal of the Noc-Pyrin. The explosion itself should have still destroyed everything for miles…but as Wyvern looked on in horror, the attack seemed to be snuffed out. Striking the barrier was like dropping a torch into water. The eruption was damped as the field grew brighter, and soon the light and energy seemed to affect it more…dimming it down and turning it to a lower glow. It appeared toconsume the flames as soon as they exploded. Within moments…the attack was swallowed up into the sphere, and the sphere itself then faded.

Wyvern had not been so astonished since fighting Griever. His attack…his horrible attack…with enough power to turn every esper in the world into dust…was useless.The dark esper couldn't believe it… All of his new power…all of his might…turned to nothing so easily. Alexander hadn't even ruffled one of his white feathers. The esper's limbs fell, and he stared blankly in breathless shock at the stone monolith…

Alexander wasted little time. He had given his warning, but moreover he knew Wyvern's true nature. He knew that he would not repent, and that he had to be stopped before he hurt anyone else. This was the only way. And so…the ground quaked again as a huge rumbling went out. Slowly, what appeared to be one of the tiers around the castle-like head of Alexander separated from the others, and raised a few precious feet. What was revealed was the dark interior of its head…specifically a large crystal relay made of some bizarre technology within. However, it was exposed and in darkness only a moment, before it suddenly began to glow, and immediately became white and glorious. Moments later, more of the great heavenly sounds began to ring out, as huge beams of light began to fire out from within. But rather than act like energy rays…they actually banked and curved in midair like missiles. And soon, they had all turned and adjusted…and sailed straight for Wyvern.

The dark esper didn't move. He could only stare. His mouth hung open slightly, and his face was twisted into horror and anguish. He emptily stared at Alexander, unable to move or defend himself. It wouldn't matter now, however.

He realized he had failed.

As Wyvern stared, he saw Bahamut again. His ghost seemed to mock him now, laughing over this doomed body. He saw all the pain he had endured. The hellish training…the beatings by the fiends…the agony of the Lifestream…the journey from the moon to Gaia… Everything he had endured…everything he had struggled for. He had gained so much…gotten so much strength. He had killed histwin at long last. He had broken free from his traitorous brother. The world had been his. Ultimate power had been his. He had worked so long and hard…devoted every thought and action to this one destiny… Humanity was on its knees before him… The espers were his… He was the king…the emperor…the greatest of all espers…

And now, as the blinding holy light began to overshadow his body…driving away the gloom he had gathered around himself and replacing it with glorious purity…his lip quivered. His wings sagged. If he still had eyes…he would have sobbed. His kingdom…his dreams…what he had worked for since the end of Griever…gone…

Right before the holy missiles struck him, he shook his head once…and a tear slowly rolled out from underneath his visor.

"It…it's not fair…"

Then, without screaming, without resisting, without doing anything but hovering there…the light hit him and exploded.

Wyvern's body was soon lost in a maelstrom of holy light. Great burning white explosions enveloped him and rocked him. His limp body was thrown about violently like a rag doll, and vanished into the whiteness of Alexander's purity. More and more beams began to strike him, each one more deadly than one of Bahamut's own Sol-Pyrins. Each shot flung Wyvern about more viciously. The light burned him inside and out. His blood turned to fire in his veins. The replacement parts melted off. Finally, as he was being thrown about, his very body, burnt into charcoal by now, flew apart and fragmented. The holy light instantly vaporized the parts. Soon, he had totally vanished into the purity.

At last, the light turned off. The holy blasts didn't continue, but dimmed and turned themselves off, not risking hitting anyone else. And as they faded…they revealed nothing. There were no fragments, no specks of dust, and not even the metal scales that had been built into him. The only thing that did fall were two small shards. One already gleamed with an inner goodness and power, shining like the sun. It had been there. But now…it was joined by a similar shard, identical to it in everywhere…except it was filled with darkness and radiated coldness. Both now fell down…down...down into the chaotic city below, and soon vanished into the wreckage and the flames.

Wyvern was gone.

* * *

_He's dead. He's finally dead._

_It's finally over._

The other espers were dumbfounded. Most of them didn't know what to think. Their creation…the mighty Alexander…he had turned Wyvern into ashes without even trying. His new power dwarfed everything else to date. They didn't know what to think. They still thought it was Bahamut, after all. They didn't know whether to be happy that the destructive esper was gone, or mourn that their leader had been destroyed by their own work. Only Terrato knew for sure what to think. A grin began to spread across his mouth, as he realized they had done it. Alexander was the greatest of all espers, and he had avenged their king after his murder ages ago. Alexander was by far the mightiest of all espers. Now their race, and the world itself, never need fear evil again. Alexander could destroy any threat.

Leviathan, however, still earnestly looked on. He knew by now not to ever count chickens before they hatched. The world, and their race, would never truly be safe until Kuja had died as well. He did want to rejoice, though. It had worked. His greatest creation had done it. The holy esper had at last defeated that cruel, demented creature. But it still had to destroy one more… And it should have been easy. Strong as Kuja was, he had been surpassed by Wyvern. And now…Alexander only dwarfed his strength even more.

Despite the obvious superiority of his esper, Leviathan nevertheless found himself calling out to the holy monolith.

_Now, Alexander! Finish Kuja!

* * *

_

The red iris magnified him now. From this range, he could see him throw back his hair in that effeminate manner he always used. Even now…he was laughing. The cocky bastard thought this all some sort of game solely for his amusement. He always was an egocentric little nut. That was what he had corrected for in building Zidane and the rest of the genomes. He had no real concept of danger, which was why he couldn't possibly see anything being stronger than him.

There was no question about it now. His creation was rebelling against his orders. Even now, he plotted to control this terrific new esper…this Alexander. It was a joke. Kuja didn't even realize that this esper could wipe him out of existence like the meaningless gnat he had been before he had given him a personality. He still didn't realize that if he hadn't made the deal with Bahamut, he would have been ashes by now. But now he wanted this Alexander too… And the truth of the matter was, even if Kuja could do the impossible and control an eidilon of this power, he would never let him do it. He didn't trust the little experiment anymore.

And, frankly, unlike Kuja…he had learned to respect the power of the eidilons ages ago…when he had met Bahamut face to face in the tower at Cornelia.

The man was still dressed from head to toe in black armor. He still had the one bright, blood-red jewel gleaming off of his chest like a heart. He still had a blood red cape flowing behind him. He still looked powerful and strong, mightier than most mortal men. And yet, the years had not been kind. The last of the Terrans, extinct now, had blessed him through genetic experiments with long life, but he wasn't immortal. He had gone mostly bald now. He had long since lost his cumbersome horned helmet. His face was filled with a white beard and mustache. However…his eyes were still hard, merciless, and soulless…without any pity or mercy for any living thing. They hadn't changed at all in thousands of years.

And they alone clearly showed those who could remember on the Planet…that he was Garland.

The dark warrior clenched his fists on the rail of the Invincible. This starship, the greatest of Terra's flight achievements, was now crewed by a single solitary relic of their forgotten race: himself. The others had died. And since leaving Gaia ages ago, he had been hard at work to try and give them new life. And for the most part, the human races of this world had been unaware of his attempts to doom their race and revitalize his own. And they had been going successful as well.

But through it all…Garland feared the eidilons.

He still remembered how their king managed to find out his true intentions and came for him. He had never forgotten it. The power of the eidilons was too strong to be harnessed or stopped by his kind. They would always be a threat. The only thing they could do was try and work around them, and Garland had been trying that. But when he had returned to this world to implement the first phase of his plan, he realized that the natives of this world had learned how to summon them. Knowing full well that he couldn't hope to hide things from both humanity and the eidilons, especially if he wanted his plans for a Lifestream disruption to succeed…Garland knew that the summoners had to go. That was why he had laid waste to Madain Sari years ago, hoping to do away with the last of them.

And now…his prototype…the pawn he had counted on to implement his work without tipping off to the world that Garland of Cornelia had returned (especially the eidilons) was ruining it. Time and time again, the fool had allowed the last two summoners to slip from his grasp. He did so at Alexandria, he did so at the Iifa Tree, and now he was doing it again. He was only interested in obtaining the eidilons they used against him. Garland knew now that was why he let them live. He was doing it so that they would continue to summon stronger eidilons against him…and so he could get stronger combatants as a result. Garland had cautioned Kuja greatly before sending him to Gaia that the eidilons were to be avoided and destroyed, not harnessed. At yet Kuja disobeyed him time and time again…first giving the eidilons to Brahne…then to capturing Bahamut…and now to attempting to yoke Alexander.

Garland, with a sneer, knew well why he was doing this now. He was doing it because he, Garland, was the only thing he feared. Kuja's tendancy was to crush all life around him so that he would not feel afraid or threatened. It was psychotic and immature, but it was there. He knew the one thing he couldn't destroy was himself. Because of that…the only thing that terrified Kuja was Garland himself. But he also knew that Garland feared, although respected was more appropriate, the power of the eidilons. Kuja assumed the old adage as a result, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend". He wanted to get the power of the eidilons and use them against him…rebel against him and destroy his own creator. And the fool was about to jeopardize all of his plans as well as his worthless life to do it.

_No, Kuja. I think you've gone too far this time._

Garland scowled as he reached over and began to type on a keypad surrounding the iris. He didn't need the little failure anymore. Mokoto was frail natured, but hopefully she would soon be able to take his place. Garland preferred to use Zidane, and he might get to yet if the genome continued on his current course. He might just "meet his maker". At any rate, he could proceed without him. The other genomes were nearing their final levels of education, and the destruction of Alexandria…coupled with what he was about to do…would provide enough of a ripple in the Lifestream to insert Terra's.

Garland continued to adjust buttons, and pushed everything to maximum. This should still work…although it would cut it close. His own powers were insufficient to do this. Under any other circumstances, he wouldn't risk using this. At maximum power, the Invincible could destroy a continent. Although Garland normally wouldn't want to see Gaia damaged, he had a feeling that this eidilon would try and restrain the blast to itself. It was in their nature to be self sacrificial. But he was definitely going to do this. He didn't risk this getting any worse. Already, this newest eidilon was above and beyond any of his previous estimates. Anything worse, and he wouldn't be able to fight back against it.

At last, the dark warrior pushed the engage button.

_This is for ruining my first plans, eidilons…

* * *

_

The area had gone strangely quiet. Leviathan had noticed that with Wyvern dead, the screaming had ceased. Now, only the soft sound of burning and the faint shine of Alexander lingered on. Even his gears seemed to be moving slower. Still, the sea esper earnestly waited. He wanted the holy esper to hurry and finish Kuja. Then they'd be alright…

But as Leviathan thought this, he suddenly noticed something. The wind was beginning to pick up. He ignored it at first, until it began to build in power. Suddenly, a great gust went by and tugged at his robe, pulling it into the air. At this, the regent snapped back and looked around. The other espers likewise recoiled. They saw the wind grow worse. Soon, it was whipping violently around them and growing stronger. The trees around them began to rustle harder and harder, and whipped one way and the other as they did so. Lighter branches began to be snapped off. Leviathan's human hair and beard were thrown about, and he had to raise his hands to hold it down. It was as if a storm had suddenly fallen on them, but without any rain or lightning. There was thunder, however. Soon, he and the others began to hear a rumble. But it wasn't any normal thunder…it was much louder. It sounded…almost like the sky was ripping. And it began to grow louder as time went on, growing into a much more powerful roar.

Looking about in confusion…Leviathan was overwhelmed. "What is this…?"

"Look!"

Again, the screams of Palidor caught their ears. But this time, they were far more frantic and terrified, as well as more urgent. Leviathan stole a glance at Palidor, and saw her eyes wide in terror and gaping back at Alexandria. Leviathan turned back with the others to see what was going on. As he did…he heard the roar grow louder and louder, becoming deafening. Yet still it increased, and would not stop. It wasn't a series either. It was a single roar of thunderr.Leviathan gaped again as he saw the source of the wind.

The clouds in the sky, still illuminated by the holy light, were rotating. But they were doing it on a grand scale, and were growing more powerful in their rotations, drawing more and more wind into them. Leviathan gaped at the sight, as he saw all of the clouds for miles around swirl. This wasn't a tornado. This was more like a hurricane…forming right here over the city. A great eye began to be generated over the castle, and the espers were dumbfounded as to what this new evil meant.

But then…something far more horrifying happened.

_A real giant red eye suddenly opened over the eye of the storm._

The other espers recoiled in terror. Leviathan himself was shocked…and felt his own heart freeze. What in God's name was this monstrosity? What horrible evil was coming now? He looked up to the great red eye, and stared transfixed in horror along with most of the population of Alexandria. For a few moments, he was paralyzed in horror, as the other espers around him began to cry out and fall back.

But then…Leviathan suddenly noticed something. He couldn't read any aura from this eye. Nothing good, evil, or even living was coming off of it. Blinking in astonishment, Levaithan looked closer. Then it struck him. On another inspection, he realized it wasn't an eye. It was…some sort of great lens. An iris lens. It was gigantic, and hovering through the eye of the storm. But it was artificial.

"It's…a window…"

As Leviathan said this out loud, the other espers turned to him with their own panicked expressions. They then turned back, and realized that Leviathan was right. On another look, they too saw that it wasn't natural. It was a bizarre window shape, but it was some sort of giant window. And now, it hovered right over Alexander in the middle of a storm of its own making.

"What is that thing…" One remarked. "Why is it here…?"

Leviathan didn't answer. He continued to stare at it. He was scared now, and confused. What did any of this mean? What was this thing? Was it from Kuja? Was it a machine? If it was, how did a machine get that high in the sky? It was above the stratosphere… He had to scan it. He had to see something…

But at that, Leviathan froze again. He did soon sense something. Power. There was power building in that lens. And as it built, he began to hear the already ear-splitting roar grow louder yet. He sensed neutral energy begin to build around the eye-like iris. What more…he began to see it. Soon, rings began to move around the "eye's pupil". They expanded and contracted, and then began to glow. They did so brighter and brighter…and as they did the energy continued to build.

"What's it doing?" Terrato called out.

Leviathan gaped for a moment longer at it…before his pupils shrank and he felt his heart race. Another horrible thing had befallen them…the worst yet. Their own victory was being taken away from them. He didn't know what this thing was or where it came from…but it was gathering power. It was preparing to fire. And it was much stronger than previously. In fact, he already saw it begin to approach Wyvern's base power level with no end in sight. The rings continued to circle and gather, and the deadly energy only continued to build. The wind whipped up harder around them, and trees began to groan and snap around the espers.

The sea serpent realized the horrible truth. Whatever this thing was…it was going to attack Alexander.

"It's…it's attacking…" Palidor breathlessly announced out loud.

Terrato gaped at it a moment, and reached the same conclusion. Suddenly, he leaned forward and yelled out. "Alexander! Destroy that thing above you! It's going to shoot you!"

But Leviathan felt his heart turn cold at the sound of that. They hadn't completed Alexander's cooling systems. He couldn't recover quickly from firing. Leviathan had thought it was unnecessary…only needing it to fire once to destroy Wyvern and then recharge a smaller amount to destroy Kuja. But this would be stronger. It was growing in more power, and growing fast. It surpassed Wyvern's former power, and began to become over half as strong as Alexander with no end in sight. The great stone monolith, rumbling the world below it, slowly began to pull itself up to raise its head to the thing slightly.

Leviathan thought of crying out to move…but it was useless. Alexander's rear legs hadn't been finished. He couldn't move from his spot. The regent realized the horrible truth. There was no where for Alexander to run, and no way to defend himself. The weakest espers gaped in terror a moment longer, but then turned and ran for it, getting as far away from Alexandria as possible. The others stared in terror. The wind continued to rise. The storm grew more violent and spun around the iris. People began to scream in the city again and ran. As for the power…it continued to grow. It was nearing Alexander's level now, and looked to pass it.

"If that thing fires…it will destroy Alexandria and us with it." Terrato spoke in terror.

As if in response to this, however, the great Alexander gave a groan again. As Leviathan watched, the colossus extended its massive glowing wings over it and covered itself again. Only now…it shielded above it. This was a hopeless move. It couldn't restrain the power like it had before. It would still be damaged. If anything, holding out like this would damage it more. But at that thought…Leviathan turned a shade white.

Alexander knew this. He wasn't trying to save himself…he was trying to prepare his body to absorb the power full force.

He was trying to spare the life of the city.

"Alexander, no!" Leviathan screamed as the roar deafened his voice. The wind swallowed up his sound. It was hopeless anyway. Alexander couldn't run. He couldn't defend himself or fight back either. He could only lay there. But no…this couldn't be! Leviathan's heart filled with dread and terror as the power grew to Alexander's level and beyond. The serpent could never build another Crystal Stone. He couldn't die here! He couldn't! Alexander was their future! He was the hope for the world! He was the chance to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity for humans and esper kind! Not now! He still had so much to do! He still had such a great job ahead of him! He had just been born! He couldn't die now!They were doomed if he did! Their race was finished if he died!

But as Leviathan screamed out another defiant "no", it was swallowed up again by a new noise. He could only watch helplessly as a burning red glow enveloped them and everything for miles, plunging everything into a bright red light as a deadly beam of energy, focused in the center of the eye, came down and struck Alexander full force.

The great white sphere rang out with a sound like an angel's cry. It shined brilliantly and beautifully, and as the red deadly light covered the world below, Alexander's own sphere shone like a second moon in its last act of defiance. The wings held. They buckled, but the power held. Now, a great cracking and whining went out as the two powers collided. Sizzling and burning resulted. The skies thundered and swirled faster, roaring and thrashing about madly. Deadly energy waves rippled off the collision. But still the mighty Alexander held. The great white wings buckled under the deadly power. Slowly, pinions began to break off and immediately shatter into fragments of white radiance. But the thing head, continuing to let the power be poured out on it. It creaked and groaned, but for a precious minute it continued to withstand the power. It had to…because it sensed small lives on its head that had to be protected until they could flee, and he vowed to live until they could escape.

Yet at last, the power was too much for it. The stone monolith gave out the last of its strength, and collapsed. The beam shook and shuddered the white sphere for a few moments longer…and then finally, with a sound like a million crystals shattering, the sphere broke. Immediately, the white purity of Alexander was turned to red. The horrible heat split right through its great wings, setting them aflame and tearing them to white shreds. The holy esper endured it, and merely held up to the end, and let the great beam strike it at the top of the head. With its final moment, it held on as much as it could to the energy, determined to at least save the city.

Immediately, the head exploded from within. Metal and stone rained everywhere. Gears, conduits, and pipes were thrown to the hurricane wind. The blast continued to go through, blowing up Alexander in levels as it traveled down his body, blasting him into nothingness. Huge eruptions went out throughout it. Fire and death rocked it severely, and the castle was turned into stone and metal fragments as it continued to fracture and erupt. The tower legs warped and bent, and then lost all support. They collapsed on themselves, and then slowly fell to the ground, sending out massive quakes as they struck the earth and sent out horrible ripples. The rest of the body smoldered and burned…before finally the greatest eruption came of all. As the survivors of Alexandria struggled to shield themselves, a great eruption of fire exploded into the air. A fireball a mile high burst forth, and black smoke, soil from craters, and burning, twisting, breaking fragments of Alexander were blasted into a mushroom cloud that could be seen from everywhere around the mist continent. It looked as if the world was ending.

It took a half hour for the explosion to die down, and for the smoke to fade. Long before it did, Kuja, stricken with terror that his plans had been found out, fled Alexandria for the other side of the world. The great red eye in the sky had closed and had disappeared, and with it the great storm and roar had left as well, leaving only the true thunderstorm following behind, much more natural and pleasant sounding, to fill its place. The soft rains slowly extinguished the ruin of Alexandria, and slowly plunged the rest of the world into darkness as it put out the fires. The last of the smoke vanished, and at last all was calm and clear again.

But now…the once great and beautiful Alexandria castle was a smoldering foundation. Debris was scattered everywhere around it for miles from the explosion of Alexander. Soot, blood, and metal had turned the clear lakes surrounding it into a rotten waste. A great blackened crater was left hovering over the ruin of what had once been the great castle. The huge mountain was gone, blasted into ashes after revealing its true nature. No one dared come near it, but let it continued to smolder and lay in the ruin that it had become.

And somewhere, deep in the forest, the last three espers that hadn't fled looked on. Palidor and Terrato stared blankly. But as for Leviathan…he simply fell to his knees, put his head to the ground, and lost all hope.

* * *

_Five Days Later_

Terratopolis was as silent as a tomb. The rain seemed to make its way there, and the former bright and cheery halls were now gray and overcast. No one was out and enjoying it. All were in their rooms in mourning. The place was cold…and rain continued to drip and fall all around it, making it all dark and wet. It was as joyless here as it was in Alexandria. All was silent and still…and dreary…

Starlet's footsteps echoed long through the hall as she approached her husband's chambers. It was too quiet now. Too still… Terratopolis, once a place of joy and laughter, a paradise on Gaia…was a chamber of mourning and sadness. She too was downheartened, and felt like she was walking through a tomb herself. Sadness hung heavy on her as well. Yet somehow, she forced herself to be strong and keep walking. She forced her head to look up, and she tried to look as pleasant as possible. She stopped when she reached Leviathan's door. She hesitated a moment…wondering if she should enter or not. But after a pause, she tentatively reached out and took the handle. She licked her lips once, thought again for a moment…but then opened the door. Still echoing long and loud, she walked through to the interior, and silently closed the door behind her. She looked up and into the back of the chamber.

The queen felt a great emptiness in her as she did. All of his books…his charts…his models…his experiments…gone. They had all been removed, and were likely destroyed. She had feared that he did. She didn't know why he would have done such a thing, but he did last night. She heard a great clatter in his room, and had feared him doing something to his prized possessions. He had gotten rid of them all. Now…the room was large and empty…cold and silent. There were still the arches leading out to an overhang over the lower courtyard here, and they still let in the gray light of the outdoors. It felt cold in the rain, and one could hear the neverending drops continued to fall.

Seated in a sprawled out position on a cushion, far on one side of the room, was her husband. He was as still and somber as a statue, much as he had been ever since he arrived days ago. He stared out emptily into the rainy sky, and his face showed no mirth or joy of any kind. His powerful eyes were empty, and he lay against that cushion as if he had lost his own child with the death of Alexander.

Starlet licked her lips. Then, she took a few steps forward. Her footsteps made her hesitate, for they echoed even louder in here. But then, she went on. Leviathan never looked up to her as she approached. He continued to be somber and silent. It seemed to take forever to cross his now empty room, but cross it she did. At last she reached his side, and stood up and looked over him a moment. He never looked up. The queen blinked once, gazing at him with concern…and then dropped down to her knees to his side.

"Leviathan…"

The sea esper in human form said nothing. He reacted to nothing. Starlet hesitated…but then reached up and took his hand. It was cold and clammy, like it hadn't moved in hours. She held it firmly in her own hands, and reached up and placed it against her breast.

"Leviathan…" She spoke up again. Again there was no response, and after a pause she continued. "There will be no rebellion now. Everyone is mourning." She hesitated, and then shrugged and sighed. "I am not sure who they all are mourning for now… Atomos, Odin, Bahamut, Wyvern, or Alexander…but we have all quieted down."

Leviathan said nothing, and showed nothing.

"…Garnet, Eiko, and their friends survived. Alexander guarded them until the last. They are making their way after Kuja, to hunt him down for what he has done. The other cities are being rebuilt, and they are working on rebuilding their armies as well-"

"Do you really think it is over?"

Starlet stopped at that. She looked up to Leviathan, but he hadn't turned to her. He merely continued to stare outside. She blinked once.

"Excuse me?"

"Do you really think it is over?" Leviathan calmly answered, not varying his tone at all.

Starlet hesitated again. "…Things are bad, but the two summoners live. And the humans will track down what did this to Alexandria…"

"Starlet…" Leviathan softly cut off, very gentle and not harshly. Starlet went silent at that, and stared earnestly at Leviathan, but he didn't turn back.

"…Do you think that because we are all sunk in depression that this is the end? Do you think that because we have this fragile peace that this is over? Do you even think that if the humans find and destroy the perpetraitors that anything has improved? Starlet…for thousands of years, humans aspired to be like _us_. We were god-like. We were pinnacles of power. We were the ones they invoked and emulated. And for thousands of years, we lived in this world separate from them. Oh…they had summoners and every once in a while we would interact…but we were separate. Our strength made us different. Our level of being made us different. We could live as we wished, and we didn't have to be accountable to any human. We had nothing to fear from them.

"But Starlet…look what has happened. In just a month, we espers became the weapons of this world. We were pitted against other powers as if we were mere tools or pawns. Our lords were rendered helpless before the powers of humanity. The most deadly and prideful one of us all…he _willingly_ became the slave of a human _because the human could give him more power than espers could._ The strongest of all espers was not beaten by a foe or entity…but by a machine. _A machine._ A nonliving construct that we thought was as inconsequential as the grass until now. The future of warfare has been revealed to humans…and it lies not in airships or gunpowder…but in _us_. _We_ are the ultimate weapons. From now on, no nation on Gaia will ever feel safe again unless it has an esper under its own command."

Starlet said nothing and showed nothing…but felt a cold pit in her stomach.

"We are quiet now…but we are now leaderless. Do you honestly think these people will follow me? You're as strong as I am, Starlet. Tritoch is _stronger_. And there are many others in addition. Now…there is nothing left. Bahamut was respected only as long as he was alive. Now that he is dead…there is nothing to keep anyone following me. Do you think that base and wicked notions died with Wyvern? Do you not think that there are others among us who now fear humanity? The events that have happened…the oldest ones among us made the playthings of humans…do you not think that has terrified some of us? And do you not think they want to respond to it the way Wyvern did? With power? That is their only source of comfort now. But they know their own power isn't enough. Don't you think they will jump at the chance to gain more power? That they will partner with each other for strong alliances? That they will oppress the weak and gather the strong? Or worse? That they will partner with humans who can promise them power, as Wyvern did?

"Last month, Starlet…we were our own race. We were the things of myths and allowed self government. But that is no longer. Now the human race knows of us…and it has the means to bend us to our will. Eiko and Garnet…and their descendants…will be the most precious commodity in the world. In the future, wars will be waged to see who has the most of their offspring on their side…because that will mean power. That will mean _us_. And now…we are so weak…we will be too chaotic and scattered to do anything about it. We have no leaders left. No rallying points. Alexander…he was the only thing that could have united us all. But he was destroyed so easily by a human invention. So many of us have died in the last few days…and all the results of humans, not espers. Don't you think that some of us will now flock to the humans…for protection? For security?"

Starlet couldn't answer this…but she knew it was the truth. This technology…this power…it may have been alien, but now the humans had it. And humans, above all things, were resourceful and adaptive. And they would build on it and make it their own. And they would improve it. Their powers would continue to grow, and they would continue their latest turn to dominance. And in truth…no human establishment would feel safe without the protection of an esper now. Leviathan's grim prophecy was going to be carried out in the next generation…when the survivors of Burmecia would beg one of Queen Garnet's children to be their king…so that they too would have a summoner in their kingdom. And things would only escalate from there. What they, and the world, had seen in the past month…was only a sample of a far greater and more terrible conflict. One the likes of which the world had yet to fathom…and one that _would_ wipe the surface of many continents as smooth as glass before it was done. The queen could only bow her head and stay silent in response to this grim future.

Leviathan sighed long and low, and shook his head out at the falling rain.

"…Perhaps Crusader was right. Perhaps humans should never have been trusted. But now it doesn't matter. I fear with all my soul…with every part of me…we have seen only the opening shots in this first 'War of the Magi'…"

THE END

* * *

That's the end of the addenum.

Now, I'm sure some of you noticed differences between what happened and what was in the game. I tried not to depart too far in most cases, but I did my own spin on some things. I hope it wasn't too bad for you.

For those of you following along, look for more chapters to be added to "The Wyvern Battles" for the continuation of this story.

See ya.


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